Twenty One Pilots is an alternative pop duo from Columbus, OH. Surely you've heard of them by now. Their third studio album Vessel broke them into the mainstream, and their follow-up album Blurryface launched them into superstardom. I've always respected their passion, ambition, and melodic sensibilities. They have a real talent for creating "earworm" hooks and melodies that stick with you for hours or even days after listening. However, those catchy and memorable melodies are often paired with painfully generic instrumentation. And while the themes of their songs are often admirable, I've usually found their lyricism to be slightly mawkish. In the past, their music has generally left me underwhelmed. However, all of this changed with their newest studio album Trench.
Trench feels like the duo's most mature, consistent, and unique album to date. In terms of production and instrumentation, this album is leagues above anything else the band has ever created. It's evident that this album had a much higher production value than any of their previous releases. There are many instances throughout the record where the group seems to draw from contemporary pop influences. For example, the chorus of "My Blood" sounds like it could have been taken straight from a Foster The People album. But by and large, Trench still sounds like Twenty One Pilots. There is a very distinct taste to it. The sounds used throughout the record are actually more idiosyncratic than ever before. Highlights include the spacey, futuristic, and atmospheric soundscape of "Levitate,"along with the fun, dynamic, breakbeat-infused instrumentation of "Morph." While nearly every song on the album is unique and draws from different influences, Trench still feels like the most aesthetically consistent installment in the Twenty One Pilots discography. Sonically, every song feels like it belongs on this album. Impressively, the group's frontman Tyler Joseph and Mutemath's Paul Meany are solely responsible for the production of the entire album. Meany's influence is blatantly obvious, but welcomed with open arms. The record sounds genuine and honest.
Trench is also the duo's most conceptual project to date. Thematically, it is intentional, tight-knit, and tenacious. It tells the story of a fictional, walled-in city called Dema. Joseph finds himself imprisoned in the city, under the oppressive rule of Nicolas Bourbaki. He wants to escape the city and bring all of his fellow inhabitants with him. Eventually, Joseph leaves the city with a group of people who call themselves the "Banditos." They escape through the city's trenches. However, the album ends before they ever make it out the other side.
This entire story is metaphor for Joseph's internal struggles. Dema represents the dark places within Joseph's mind. Nico represents things like insecurity, doubt, anxiety, and depression, which often control him. Joseph's found an escape of sorts, but he hasn't yet reached the finish line. He's in the trenches. There is still progress to be made. In the song "Chlorine," he explains that music has played a big part in his success thus far. "Sippin' on straight chlorine...This beat is a chemical," he sings - implying that the music he writes helps to purify his mind from the darkness that once pervaded it. I think the idea of being at some sort of in-between place in your life is very relatable, yet not overly clichéd. There are times when we aren't completely imprisoned by something, but we aren't completely free from it either. I found this to be a really neat concept for the duo to explore.
Faith is one of the major themes explored throughout the record. "Nicolas Bourbaki" was actually the moniker used by a group of mathematicians in the 1930s who famously tried to prove the existence of God using mathematical equations. This plays right into the metaphor of the album. Among many other things, Joseph really struggles with doubt. There are times that he wishes there was a logical explanation for everything, including God. There are times that he feels oppressed by his desire for answers. But what he needs to do is escape the toxic mentality befalling him and learn to embrace the mysteries of life and faith. To some extent, faith is required of everyone. Uncertainty can be scary, but it's necessary. It's a part of life. This concept is extremely relatable for just about everybody, especially those who believe in God.
Needless to say, the concepts and themes found throughout the album are extremely intricate and substantive. They're also constructed and organized extremely well. The band does a great job at maintaining a clear focus. The record doesn't seem to be as muddled and scatter-brained as some of their previous work has been.
There are a handful of songs on the record that really stand out to me. "Neon Gravestones" is a beautifully written song that aims to erase the stigma behind depression and suicide without going so far as to glorify it. Joseph ends the song with an exhortation to find someone of age and celebrate their dedication to life. This is exactly what he does on the song "Legend," which is an emotional tribute to his recently deceased grandfather. These two are probably my favorites on the entire record. Songs like "My Blood," "Chlorine," and "The Hype" go to show that Twenty One Pilots is still in the business of making infectiously catchy hooks and melodies.
Still, the album has its flaws. While I loved the production on "Pet Cheetah," it was definitely a low point lyrically and thematically. It did close to nothing to contribute to the album's narrative. I felt the same way about the song "Smithereens," but even that song is hard to discredit because of how sweet and well-intentioned it is. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this album. I went into it with low expectations and I was very pleasantly surprised. This is without a doubt my favorite record from Twenty One Pilots so far, and I'm excited to see their growth from this point forward.
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