For the past week and a half, I have spent a lot of time listening to Twenty One Pilots’ new album Clancy. This was the band’s first album since 2021, and was long awaited by fans. This record is one of the most musically diverse that the band has released. Every single released before the album sounded astronomically different from each other. Yet somehow, when Clancy was released in its entirety, the tracks all formed a cohesive storyline and record. This album leans into the more rock and alternative side of their music, following closer to their Trench and Blurryface records, rather than Scaled and Icy.
Twenty One Pilots has talked about how this record wraps up the story they have been telling so long. The band discussed this in their livestream that premiered almost all of the music videos from the record. Tyler Joseph, discussed how the songs “Overcompensate”, “Navigating”, and “Paladin Strait” are the most “lore-based” videos of the record. From what the band has shown so far, this story is wrapping up with the character of Clancy navigating through treacherous lands and trying to escape/change the dystopian world that he is a part of. With these songs, each music video picks up where the other one left off. The rest of the music videos (that do not tell the story) vary from the band on a frozen pond, to riding around Ohio in a limo, and making Josh Dun play the drums in some pretty wild places (including on top of a barrel of hay).
Their song “Lavish” is vastly different than the other tracks on this record. Twenty One Pilots discussed this in their livestream about how they made this song to prove that they can be different. The music video for this track is also unique. Joseph and Dun ride around Ohio in a limo, while finding signs that match the lyrics of the song. It is a music video and lyric video in one. The entire production makes it clear that the band wants to keep evolving, and are trying new things musically. Production on this album was done by Tyler Joseph and Paul Meanym, who has also worked with Pierce The Veil.
“Vignette” is my personal favorite of this album. I believe that it is a song that is going to be so well received live on tour. Sometimes you hear a song and think “I cannot wait to hear how this translates on the stage”. Many of the songs from this album are like that but, the production of this track will be rejuvenated in live performance for sure.
Twenty One Pilots - Vignette Music Video
The Clancy World Tour kicks off in August in the United States. Their shows are always fantastic and are like nothing I have ever seen before. Twenty One Pilots always makes the fans feel like they are part of the show. To see Twenty One Pilots live, find local tour dates here.
