This past May, twenty one pilots released their newest album, "Blurryface." "Blurryface" is one of the best albums I have ever listened to. It is more than just a collection of songs; there is a common theme that ties all of the songs together. All throughout "Blurryface," twenty one pilots discuss concepts like insecurity, growing older, God, and several other ideas that are not commonly discussed in popular music.

There are too many insightful and poetic lyrics to pick my favorites, but these are a few that stood out to me:

1. "Mindless zombies walking around with a limp and a hunch, saying stuff like ‘you only live once.'" (Heavydirtysoul) In the first song of the album, "Heavydirtysoul," Tyler Joseph (twenty one pilots lyricist and vocalist) introduces the album as one that is very different from most popular music. He claims that other music is not as complex and thought-provoking as it should be. Later in the song, he explains that his music is a way for him to ‘clean’ his mind.
2. "When I was younger, I was told my all my fears would shrink. But now I’m insecure and I care what people think." (Stressed Out) This lyric expresses the idea that as we get older we become more aware of what others think of us. Commonly, we let others’ perceptions of us affect how we carry ourselves and we become too concerned with their feelings about us. This lyric is followed by “My name’s Blurryface and I care what you think,” which introduces Joseph’s alter-ego character who represents self-consciousness and insecurity. This song provides a foundation for the reoccurring theme surrounding Blurryface’s character.
3. "Metaphorically I’m the man, but literally I don’t know what I’d do." (Ride) During this verse, Joseph questions the common saying, “I’d take a bullet for him/her.” He seems to ask if that’s what we really mean or if it’s a meaningless statement because most of us have never been in the situation calling for us to actually decide whether or not we would take a bullet for someone.
4. "Sometimes you’ve got to bleed to know, that you’re alive and have a soul." (Tear In My Heart) In "Tear In My Heart,” Joseph explains that you need lows in your life in order to really experience living. Emotions are a huge part of our lives and we cannot try to dull our emotions to prevent negative feelings. This reminded me of a lyric from Panic! at the Disco’s most recent single, "Hallelujah," in which Brendon Urie sings, “Being blue is better than being over it.” Both of these lyrics have really stood out to me in the past because they provide a new outlook on emotions.
5. "And now that my mind’s out and now I can hear it clear and loud I’m thinking, 'Wow, I probably should’ve stayed inside my house.'" (The Judge) In this song, Joseph talks about having to leave his house to go to the store; suddenly, he is aware of all of his self-doubt and insecurities. This leads him to think he should have stayed home. This is one of my favorite lyrics because I know almost all people feel this way at some point. This is one of the first times I had heard it discussed so directly.
6. "We don’t believe what’s on TV because it’s what we want to see. And what we want, we know we cannot believe. We have all learned to kill our dreams." (We Don't Believe What's On TV) This song highlights the fact that we have been taught to not set our sights too high, and when we see happy scenarios on TV, we see them as too good to be true. After this lyric, Joseph says he’ll be okay because he has someone to trust and someone will be there for him, even if his plans fall through.
7. "I’ve got two faces. Blurry’s the one I’m not. I need your help to take him out." (Goner) "Goner" is a slow end to the album in which Joseph looks for help with his insecurities and self-doubt. He explains that is insecurities are not his personality and he needs someone’s help getting rid of Blurryface. Joseph never specifies who that someone is, which could make the song easier to relate for listeners. The listeners can interpret the helper as whomever they want, making the song meaningful and relatable.

I know that most of these lyrics seem down and almost morbid, but that’s what makes them interesting. These lyrics are realistic and insightful. There’s a reason we can’t take Rebecca Black’s "Friday" seriously: between the lyrics and video, she seems happy to be waking up at 7 a.m. for school. I don’t know about other people, but I am rarely ever that cheerful so early in the morning, and I can’t take anyone seriously who seems that happy to be awake at that hour. Relatable and realistic lyrics make for better music, especially when the lyrics make you think in new ways. "Blurryface" is the master of insightful and relatable lyrics, making it one of my favorite albums. If you have not yet listened to "Blurryface," I highly recommend it. You can find the album on iTunes or Spotify.