Clancy- Twenty One Pilots

Twenty One Pilots is known by their fans for their concept album series and Clancy fits right in with their other albums. Throughout the whole album there are incredible lyrics by Tyler and unique drumming from Josh that give their music that well known Twenty One Pilots sound we all have come to know and love.

In the song “Next Semester” Tyler Joseph revisits his troubled past and how it feels to be someone struggling with mental health issues like depression and anxiety while in school. The lyrics that really stuck out to me was “I prayed those lights would take me home, then I heard hey kid get out of the road!” Tyler Joseph has a way of making his audience feel less alone in these struggles and as the album continues you can see how Tyler handles these feelings, processes them and comes out okay on the other side.

The next song I love is called Backslide and this song is about how it feels to be scared to regress back into a dark place. “I don’t wanna backslide to where I started from, there’s no chance I’ll shake this again” It’s like the song is a cry for help and puts into perspective how hard the constant fight of depression can be.

The album takes a turn with the song Oldies Station with a much lighter and hopeful sound with an urgency to keep trying when things get difficult. “When darkness rolls on you, push on through” Songs like this one is what really makes Twenty One Pilots resonate with me personally. Tyler always finds a way to put hard feelings into words but then always reminds you that you will be okay and that you aren’t alone and that is what makes this music so special to so many people.

My last favorite song on this album is “At The Risk Of Feeling Dumb”. In this song Tyler urges his listeners to check in on their friends and really make sure they are okay. The message in this song is so powerful because not only does it focus on the difficulty of asking for help when you are at your lowest but also the vulnerability it takes to be able to help a friend that’s also struggling. The vulnerability that comes with speaking up when things are going wrong is very hard and Tyler’s lyrics “Nothin you can do this time. I don’t want anyone, know me or not. See me at my lowest you don’t have to drop by” perfectly displays how it feels to be struggling and being scared to have someone see you at your worst. But he pleads that even if someone you love says something like this you should “at the risk of feeling dumb, check in. It’s not worth the risk of losing a friend”. It’s lyrics like these that created the tightknit Twenty One Pilots community. They have a fanbase full of people who can relate to these common issues and feel a sense of belonging because of the art Tyler and Josh have created over the years.

Overall I love this album because it was very refreshing to hear an album that sounds more like their older music. It has the original Twenty One Pilots sound with lyrics and musicality that make it so important and memorable to so many people.

Rating: 8/10

Favorite track: At The Risk Of Feeling Dumb