Going Back to Trench: What You Need to Know About Twenty One Pilots and Clancy
Twenty One Pilots will release their seventh album, Clancy, on May 17th. Since their last album was released in 2021, fans have been eagerly awaiting new music and a new part to the story that Twenty One Pilots has created. The narrative they have built has been revisited over quite a few albums: Blurryface, Trench, Scaled, Icy, and now Clancy.
This story takes place in a fictional place called “Dema,” run by a government of nine bishops. This city is part of a continent called “Trench.” Tyler Joseph, the lead singer of the band, portrays Clancy, a citizen who escapes the city over and over but is always found by the leader of the bishops. When Clancy was caught in the narrative of Trench, he was forced to perform and entertain the citizens of the city with his music. That is why their album Scaled and Icy feels so different and almost ignorant of what previous albums have discussed. This album is bright and feels like denial to what is going on around him. The last music video of this era is for “The Outside.” In this video, Clancy (Tyler) and Josh have escaped and are finally free of the control of Dema. Their next LP picks up from this point in their first single, "Overcompensate.” This song feels like a rebellion. It is also a return to Trench.
Everyone has different interpretations to what “Dema'' represents: the battle of mental illness, control, losing/finding yourself, pressure from society, etc. I think that is what is so fascinating about this band: they create the narrative, but we are able to take these songs and make them our own.
Their second single from Clancy, also the second track on the album, is called “Next Semester.” It will be released the week of March 25th, presumably in the latter half of the week. Twenty One Pilots have also teased their upcoming tour across different venues’ social media. Make sure to keep an eye out for more information on tour dates and the album on their website.
Watch the music video for “Overcompensate” here.
Listen to “Overcompensate” here.