I hit a bit of a full circle moment last night, waiting for midnight to roll around so I could listen to the brand new Twenty One Pilots record 'Clancy'. When 'Trench' came out in 2018, the first record by the duo that really let you in to the narrative genius bubbling below the surface, it was the first time I had stayed up to enjoy an album as soon as it came out. It was also the first time I had been introduced fully to the lush storyline that has been flowing through their discography, and my little 14 year old brain exploded. The band had promised that this new album would help put that storyline to bed, but we will have to wait and see - but for any fans who don't want the songs or narrative points of the music videos spoilt for them, consider this your spoiler warning, because I'm unpacking this thing to within an inch of it's life. For now, let's break down and review my most anticipated album to date, Twenty One Pilot's 'Clancy':
(Clancy Album Art - Twenty One Pilots)
1. Overcompensate - 3:56
'Overcompensate' was released around 80 days ago, so I've had a lot of time to become familiar with this track and what it's real purpose is. It's all parts a gritty yet fluid catch up to the narrative, reintroducing you to the narrative whilst also showing you stylistically how this record is going to be different from anything that we've seen before. What I will say is that in this album version, and this might be placebo or me just noticing something I've never noticed, but the low end of the mix feels much louder, with a punchy bass synth flowing through most of the track. But this song is brilliant, there's no denying. From the impressively snappy drum performance from Dun with it's marching hi-hat and perfect fills, to the vocal and lyrical flow of Joseph, this track shows a band at it's best, creating songs that are packed with meaning and easy to listen to, exciting fans and new listeners alike.
2. Next Semester - 3:54
Again, this track was another one of the singles, but it's had some time to grow on me since it was released. If we're talking about a track that boils down the essence of a band, it's 'Next Semester'. With a chunky bass sound and splashy hi-hat, this track continually grows and changes with it's tempo, stripping back from the heavy tones to more introspective choruses and verses that emphasise the lyrical performance. I like this sound, it works so well as a conducive whole, as well as alone. Again, the drums are snappy, the bass is tight and growly, and sonically it's a treasure trove of hidden synth and guitar. The final breakdown is so well earnt, and with the added vocal emphasis you can feel the mania dripping from Joseph's every word. In a song all about regret, and knowing you can't change the way things are but the hope of starting fresh being so close, when it hits that emotional ukulele led verse, it hits you right in the gut. No song is truly perfect, few get that badge from me, but Next Semester is pretty damn close to the mark.
3. Backslide - 3:00
A track all about relapsing into a mindset you know is destructive, 'Backslide' chronicles frontman Joseph's struggle with his mental health, with a more defeatist attitude. Comparing his struggle to a riptide, Joseph asks if he falls back into his old ways, will anyone be there to save him. The beat is solid, full of layered synths and brilliant vocoded notes throughout. Again you feel the vocal performance, it's so full bodied and emotional you can't help but really feel those desperate lines in your stomach. However, just because this track is a little bleak in it's makeup does by no means mean it's not a bop. The beat is so solid your nodding your head or tapping your feet throughout, and those crescendos that build to the chorus sections are insanely good, so good that when I first heard them I got serious goosebumps, and when I hear them now I still do.
4. Midwest Indigo - 3:16
The first of the new tracks begins on a glassy synth, with Joseph's echoed vocals. It's a serene opener before it hits into the main section, with bouncing bass and more clean drums. The vocal melodies are repetitive but flow well with the beat. It hits a small spoken section, seemingly speaking to Joseph's insecurities about friends now showing up for him. There are also references to seeing a counsellor, and them not showing up. It seems like the song revolves around trying to connect emotionally with someone, but just receiving resistance in turn. The instrumentation and production are crystal clear, the layered vocals and continued bright synth underpinning what is actually a pretty bleak track, but it's in that dichotomy where this song really flourishes, as an intimate look into the mind of someone who wants help desperately, but sometimes can't find it.
5. Routines in the Night - 3:22
As soon as this song kicked in, I knew it was going to be a firm favourite. The vocoded vocals layered on top of the regular ones, the more R&B drum beat, and again those smooth synths in the background make for a lush sound for this one. The vocals are more breathy, but the flow is immaculate, the gentle intonation on some of the words adding this awesome texture to the vocal delivery. The chorus is also similarly boppy, and with that snappy hi-hat sound, I found my stank face coming out. The second verse subverts that clean delivery, playing with his flow before they hit another chorus. It builds fantastically, and while the production is clean and clinical there's so much in this track to love. The subtle high harmonies in the background, the lyrical contents about trying to make it through the nights in one piece when all you can think about are the things you've done, and the gentle piano closer, it makes for another knock out track.
6. Vignette - 3:22
The soaring synths open this track in an atmospheric way, and the added strings make the opening to this song feel epic. The cutting out cymbals and striking chords are an insanely atmospheric way to start this track. The interpolated screams of a vulture are really cool and as the song progresses and that slammed cymbal and silence break is such a cool motif. The spoken word delivery is really nice to hear, because you get to really relish the more complex lyrics in this track. Plus, Tyler's extreme vocals in this song are a treat to hear. Along with the bouncing synth and striking strings, the shouts and crushingly high vocal sections are so cool to hear. There's even a little synth solo, which is pretty well earnt and sits really well in the mix, being at the forefront alongside the string drum beat. It's a cool song, once again displaying the insane versatility of this band, keeping things fresh while switching up some of the inner workings to create a similar, but different vibe.
7. The Craving (Jenna's Version)
I think I might be crucified if I admit this, but I enjoyed the single version more than this one, only because as beautiful and heart wrenching as this track is on just the ukulele, after tracks with such a big sound you really feel like you want something a little more solid. However, this song is gorgeous. It's a really heart warming tribute to the love that Joseph shares with his wife, and gives us an intimate look into the lifespan of their relationship and how they've grown and learnt from what they've been through together. Plus, the acoustic version feels more like a singalong, and that's something I can get behind - I'm singing along as I write this.
8. Lavish - 2:38
Now, this track is hilarious in a lot of ways. Not only is it stylistically such a left turn from the previous track, but you can really start to feel the sense of humour from the band bleed through. Even the opening lyrics poke fun at the fact this isn't a style the band has leant into for a while. It's sparkling, there's a singular note that runs through the entire thing with fading in and out synths. The rap from Joseph conveys not only what it's like, but also what it feels like being in the spotlight, and not really knowing where you stand. There's even a reference to the Napoleon Complex - the feeling that you have to overcompensate for your shortcomings. Want more lyrical genius? Look no further than the proctologist bar...it's insane, and annotated on genius.com with only the note 'I cannot for the life of me fathom what he could possibly mean by this. How is this a real lyric that made it onto the album.'
It's a fun track, that clearly is meant to say that the band aren't leaning into a lavish lifestyle, and keeping themselves humble among others in the industry who let the fame get to their head.
9. Navigating - 3:43
We're back in Trench for this one people. This song opens with the chunkiest bass sound imaginable and a brilliant synth underscore that brings that and the hi-hat centric drum beat all together in an awesome way. During the verses the drums are muted as Joseph sings, his voice low and breathy. The fill that leads into the rapid chorus is awesome, before it churns on and again changes it's pace in the refrain. Funnily, it feels like a journey - it consistently changes and moves at paces you were not prepared for, which is such a cool feature to tie in the semantics. Also, for fans of the lore, this one's music video is insane. It links with the bridge when Tyler laments that everyone in his life ends up leaving, just like Josh's torch bearer character disappears when he finds the real version of him in the clearing. For such a cinematic track, an insane music video makes perfect sense, and adds to both the narrative once again after the pit stop since 'Overcompensate', but also explains why Dun was so blurry on the album cover, he was never there to begin with.
10. Snap Back - 3:30
'Snap Back' opens again with a glassy tone, but with bleak lyrics relating to Tyler's own mental state. With a marching snare and synth, it seems like a reflective track, with references back to both 'Backslide' and 'Heavydirtysoul'. It seems like the shaving of Tyler's head has gone full cycle, which is on brand for the themes, from being negative in 'Car Radio', to being positive and a movement of freedom in 'Levitate', and now back to having negative connotations. However there is hope there, if Tyler is going to fight this, and metaphorically 'snap necks' he knows he needs to be back at his best. The music is ethereal, and builds to another serene layered soundscape. There are again some really cool dynamics in this track from the spoken word of the verse, to the gliding harmonies of the bridges, it's a great reflective song that sits really well at this point in the record.
11. Oldies Station - 3:48
This one feels like an actual happy one, and pulls the net wider to Joseph and his family, his own beliefs. Perhaps when he references to taking an oath he talks about his marriage, his faith, his children. It's a slow burner, and easy to listen to. The instrumentation is nice and simple, so those lyrics really flourish, you can hear every word. There's a really cool change in a crescendo, and there's a time change of some sort. It seems to be bleeding between a story of a life, with bouncing synth and the repeated phrase to 'push on through' the parts of his life that seem like cornerstones that are now far in the past. It's a lovely end to another reflective track that is really nice to hear yet another simple yet effective track.
12. At the Risk of Feeling Dumb - 3:23
I'll be 100% honest and say that this is another of my favourites from this album. From the semantics of breaking down and not wanting people to see you at your worst, to the breakthrough and revelation, and the final message to keep an eye on your friends and check in on them, it's a really heartfelt song about the unknown pain people carry. Not only this, it has that heavy feel of it just like 'Next Semester', which keeps the bass nice and present in the mix. There's more intricacies in there too, subtle synth that builds to a crescendo, starting off almost whimsical, but building to that insane threatening wall in the chorus. It's just such a good track, built amazingly, and builds and crashes so well. The extreme vocals in the chorus' are so heart felt, there's so much emotional emphasis to this song that it just gut punches you over and over. Highlight. Without a doubt.
13. Paladin Strait -
This one opens more like a medieval battle song. With just the uke and Tyler's voice, you know the narrative is taking hold here. Beneath the obvious, I think the song is about Josh. I think, since we know that Clancy has not actually seen him since last being removed from Trench, the song is about seeing him again for the first time, and knowing that he would do anything to be by his side. The second section really adds to itself, with drums and synths and some strange background muffled percussion of some sort. Again, this is produced so well, the complexity within it is insane to create such a sound. The track builds for a while, the synth building, with the lyrics reflecting that final fight we've all been waiting on. Clancy is past the 'point of no return'. It's an epic build up, the layered vocals, the ride cymbal on the drums just underpinning it perfectly. That last chorus still gives me goosebumps, it's stunning. The song is so dense with the narrative that it's just a treat to see. Then, it's gone. The sounds of birds fills your ears, and you're left to wait. It's a strange emotion, after wanting to feel this final fight, your left with just the sound of nature. It's almost a palette cleanser, and your left with just your thoughts before once again the ukulele comes in, for the final sorrowful but determined verse. Clancy is going to face off with Nico, the climax is here, it's slow, and he isn't sure he's ready. The sound of a door. The voice of Nico, stating in his gravelly voice: 'So few, so proud, so...emotional. Hello Clancy.' And then, it's done. The album is over. What comes next? Well, in the livestream where these videos were debuted, Tyler Joseph had one thing to say 'Does it sound like the end?'.
(Image courtesy of KERRANG)
Overview: Wow. What a record. I feel so lucky that I get to experience all of this, on my own terms, in this way. Not only is the music brilliant, it's produced to perfection, the mix full of insane effects and instruments, and also it carries with it so much heart and real emotion you feel like you're being let in to the mind of Tyler Joseph. Even songs that I feel aren't my favourites are by no means skippable, and the performances of both Joseph with his signature flow and vocal deliveries, it also proves that Josh Dun on the drums is instrumental to pinning these insane compositions together. Not only this, but 'Clancy' had started once again the interest to go back to the narrative of Trench, to what happens after this, the face of between Tyler and Nico, this could not have been done in a more utterly perfect way. Thank you Twenty One Pilots. I feel genuinely privileged to be able to live in a time music like this is still made. Honest, proud, and somehow, in it's own Capri-Sun sipping way, funny.
Highlights: Overcompensate, Next Semester, Backslide, Midwest Indigo, Routines in the Night, At the Risk of Feeling Dumb
Rating: 10/10.
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