Twenty One Pilot’s new album “Breach” was released on Sept. 12, and hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 on Sept. 21. The album concluded the storyline that spanned their albums “Blurryface,” “Trench,” “Scaled and Icy” and “Clancy.” “Breach” packed a satisfyingly nostalgic punch, giving way to the music that has become expected from the duo.
Twenty One Pilots is a musical duo made up of Tyler Joseph, lead vocalist and principal songwriter, who also plays a variety of instruments, and Josh Dun, drummer. Typically, they make music with a lot of themes relating to growing up, nostalgia and mental health hardships. Their music is its own distinct style, combining genres like hip-hop, funk, alternative rock and more.
Listening to this album felt like a very natural continuation of their previous music, especially “Clancy.” The style of music matched very closely with what was seen in “Clancy,” which makes sense considering they were released less than two years apart. Because of their tendency to combine different music styles, sometimes there is a lot of variation between albums. For example, “Scaled and Icy,” which was released in 2021, was a step away from their traditional and expected style. This extreme difference was not our favorite, but we still enjoyed the album. “Clancy” and “Breach” had a comfortably familiar sound that drew one into the music.
Nostalgia and relatability are some of the key themes that make their music so enjoyable. They continue integrating relatable lyrics, such as in the song “Drum Show,” where they say, “He drives fast just to feel it, feel it (feel it)/He drives slow if his song’s not over.” By taking a relatable action, such as enjoying a drive and slowing down to finish listening to the song playing, they connect with listeners. Combined with the instrumentation, these kinds of lyrics make their music extremely comforting.
Along with nostalgia, they stick with their typical lyrics relating to growing up or missing childhood. For example, in the album “Blurryface,” we see the lyrics “But it would remind us of when nothing really mattered/Out of student loans and tree house homes, we all would take the latter” in the song “Stressed Out.” In the new album, the song “Garbage” gives us “I can’t decide if/I could feel more or I just knew less/When I was younger/Bright-eyed with wonder,” which again ties back to the idea that they miss the simplicity and ease of childhood, which is very enjoyable to listen to.
Throughout many of the songs, we get references to past albums, with the most prominent being “Vessel” and “Blurryface.” At the end of “City Walls,” we hear the introduction to “Heavydirtysoul” from “Blurryface,” and in the same song, we get some lyrics from “Holding On To You,” the second track in their 2012 album “Vessel.” However, that is not the only “Vessel” reference; the final song on the new record, “Intentions,” sounded familiar to some loyal listeners because the instrumental is from “Truce,” the final song in “Vessel,” but reversed. “Truce” is one of those songs that is known by heart to the loyal fans because of its raw and somber themes, and Tyler took it, flipped it, and turned it into a song about starting over and finding purpose.
There is one more reference that I think deserves recognition. The sixth song on the album, “Downstairs,” may sound like a track from the “Vessel” era, and those who attended the listening party got the chance to hear its story and found out that it was originally written in the “Vessel” era. During the listening party, in between songs, there were recordings that Tyler had put together talking about the songs, so fans got some special behind-the-scenes info on the album. Before “Downstairs” played, he said that the song would not have been on the album if it weren’t for Josh. He said that he had deleted the old demo, unaware that Josh had kept it. Josh came to him and said that he listened to it often, and that he thought they should finish it and put it on the record, according to his commentary at the listening party. We are so glad he did; it is in our top three favorites from the album.
Beyond just the songs, for ten years Twenty One Pilots has told an intricate story through music videos, letters, posts and hidden easter eggs that began with their 2015 album, “Blurryface,” with the entire story being a metaphor for mental health struggles. “Blurryface” kicks off with the fast-paced “Heavydirtysoul,” of which the music video marks the beginning of a lore that would inspire millions of people for years to come. The story really takes flight with the 2018 album “Trench,” where Tyler leans into the music video side of the lore. “Jumpsuit,” “Nico and the Niners” and “Levitate” all give listeners a clearer idea of the story, and this is where the story truly begins to progress. Throughout the rest of the albums, we see the main character, Clancy, fight for what he believes in, facing many challenges along the way.
With Breach being the end of the story, it is a bittersweet album for many fans, including ourselves. We personally believe that the story had a saddening, but realistic ending, considering the metaphor of mental health. To put it simply, it emphasizes that mental health is a cycle, and there is no indefinite “solution.” You go through good and bad points in your journey, and that is part of the human experience.
