Album Review - Twenty One Pilots - Clancy
Twenty One Pilots close the book on their lore with their seventh Album, Clancy.
There has been a growing openness to mental health and wellbeing in the last decade, especially in music. One of the bands leading that charge is the pop-rock duo Twenty One Pilots.
Vocalist Tyler Joseph has rapped/sung/sometimes screamed about his mental health journey. A journey that has always seemed to be at arms-length. You could never fully understand what they were going through. Clancy is similar but the walls have started to come down with this album being the closest we’ve come to digging into who Tyler Joesph is. A journey that while it is always going to be personal to the artist has a reliability to the audience.
I am one of them, being able to fully open up and feel understood thanks to Tyler’s creative lyrics. I was even inspired by their lyrics when titling my comic ‘Butcher With a Smile.’
It’s this openness and journey Clancy takes you on that sets it apart from the other lore albums. Starting arguably with 2015’s Blurryface and seemingly concluding with Clancy. Now I’m familiar with the deep lore TOP has created but aren’t as invested as most other fans. This concerned me when the ‘Overcompensate’ – ‘Welcome back to Trench’. A lore-filled track that felt too deep-cut to enjoy.
However, Tyler’s creative lyrics and Josh Dunn’s exceptional drumming take you on a journey. The balance between lore and music is perfectly weighted. There is plenty for fans to dissect and see the larger picture as there is for casual fans to enjoy.
A personal favorite track of mine is ‘Routines In The Night’ and I think perfectly captures what I’m talking about. An entertaining track with a catchy chorus and relatable lyrics. Lyrics that are also filled with easter eggs to the larger story at play without holding the track hostage.
Twenty One Pilots have a knack for blending genres and mixing things up. It felt refreshing to get a new sound or style as the album progressed. There were times I was reminded of Rare Americans, especially on ‘Vignette.’
Clancy has done something I feared the album wouldn’t, be enjoyable for both die-hards and casual fans. A rich lore that while is being touted as a conclusion, with Tyler facing his demons. I feel there is more story to come. Clancy is an incredible journey that gets better with each listen.