After 369 full days of hiatus, the Ohio duo of Tyler Joseph and Joshua Dun, known as Twenty One Pilots, surged from the shadows and announced on their social medias on July 11 the release of two new singles, an upcoming tour and that their new album entitled "Trench" will be out October 5.
The new singles, "Jumpsuit," which came with an official music video that reached five million views within 24 hours, and "Nico And The Niners," have seen mostly positive feedback, but fans are wondering if the style these songs take on – one that's very alternative yet still catchy enough to be considered radio-play, much like the tracks off their last album, "Blurryface" – is going to continue. These new tracks give off the impression that this new record will be similar to "Blurryface," but is that a good thing?
Of course it is. Although "Blurryface" is not the duo's best album, it is extremely disparate with each song and that's what makes Twenty One Pilots so special. This is blatant through these two quickly trending songs, which I'll break down now.
Let's start with "Jumpsuit." I was caught off guard by the punching bass line that kicks off the song. Joseph started implementing bass heavily in "Blurryface," but this riff is electrifying. Drums quickly join the bass and before you know it, Joseph's voice starts to entreat, "I can't believe how much I hate, pressures of a new place roll my way. Jumpsuit, jumpsuit, cover me." These lyrics are strange yet expected from the band. They're making it known how they feel about the music industry: strained and worried with the stardom. The song continues and nothing piqued my interest until the bridge when it slows down to a melancholy piano and Joseph pleads, "I'll be right there, but you'll have to grab my throat and lift me in the air. If you need anyone, I'll stop my plans; but you'll have to tie me down and then break both my hands." This is quite the breakdown, even for Twenty One Pilots who is known for desolate lyrics. This part creates a mood reminiscent of their self-titled album, which was exciting for me because, in my opinion, that's the greatest record of all time. The song returns to its request of a protective shield through a jumpsuit, but ends with Joseph now screaming for it. The scream was spot-on and fades out with a soothing instrumental. This song, although quite perplexing, is terrific and well worth the wait (maybe not a full year wait, but that's okay since they released another song, too).
"Nico And The Niners" took me a few listens to really get into. It opens with a manipulated voice saying gibberish; once reversed, it's clear the audio says, "We are banditos. You will leave Dema and head true east. We denounce Vialism." This reversed clip was actually discovered on dmaorg.info – which has since been removed – by a fan days before the release of this song. The track may have been intentionally hidden for the fans to find as an allusion to the bishops that supposedly confined people in the fictitious city of Dema. Vialism is the bishops' religion and banditos seem to be those coming to the aid of the trapped. The instrumental begins, which takes on a reggae vibe, and leads the somewhat eerie lyrics. Joseph says in the first verse, "They want to make you forget. Save your razorblades now, not yet." In the second verse, he says, "We'll win but not everyone will get out." He also mentions a jumpsuit in the chorus, which is bound to be a recurring theme on the entirety of "Trench."
Dun revealed in a radio interview with Annie Mac that their new album is going to "further the story… [it'll be] a continuation of Blurryface and continue to be diverse." So don't worry if you don't particularly like these first two singles. There's a full album coming and it'll still possess the flare Twenty One Pilots has always given us – something cathartic, diversifying, meaningful, and incredible.
