It’s both hard and easy to believe that Twenty One Pilots are at the point in their career where they have now released eight studio albums. The band have been scene mainstays since being signed to Fueled By Ramen records in 2012, and yet many casual fans don’t realize that Twenty One Pilots also released two other LPs in advance of their major label signing. Breach comes storming onto the rock scene brimming with a similar sound to TOP’s arsenal, and the new record is catchy, familiar, and filled with several key thematic callbacks to keep fans engaged. It’s been just over a year since Twenty One Pilots released their seventh studio album, Clancy, and Breach feels more confident, urgent, and moves the needle even further in a positive direction in TOP’s creative approach to blending so many genres in their music. The set was produced by Paul Meany, Mike Elizondo, and the band’s vocalist Tyler Joseph. The set was preceded by three singles in “The Contract,” “Drum Show” and most recently, the sprawling, bass-heavy opener of “City Walls” that was accompanied by a long-form music video of the five minute-plus song. Breach ultimately ends up being one of the most thrilling records, if not the most important album, since Twenty One Pilots first formed in 2009.

The seventh studio album from Twenty One Pilots, called Clancy, brings closure to the near decade-long conceptual series that began with Trench. In many ways, Twenty One Pilots are challenging their audience to go on this ride with them as they navigate through the waters of rap, alternative, punk, and indie rock, while still looking for new and innovative ways to express the right emotions in their music. Clancy is the character that the band first introduced in Trench, and this record of the same name pulls out some additional thematic elements to bring rich context to the story. After some hard to hear radio chatter on the beginning of the opener, “Overcompensate,” a voice comes on to set the tone by stating emphatically, “Welcome back to Trench.” By taking a brief detour to where they’ve been, while still trying to advance the music forward in their repertoire, Twenty One Pilots have crafted an album worthy of multiple repeat spins and reward listeners willing to take deep dive into the world of Clancy.

On the sixth studio album from Twenty One Pilots, the band literally could have gone in any direction that they pleased. Their run of ultra-successful records started with Vessel, exploded with Blurryface, and maintained high interest in Trench. On the latest album, Scaled and Icy, the band conquers complex themes like anxiety and self-doubt while still maintaining an optimistic outlook that things can and will get better. The material found on this album is largely upbeat, even when the weight of the lyrics allow the listener to reconsider everything that they just heard. In many ways, Scaled and Icy is the album that best represents the sound that their label Fueled By Ramen so successful over the past two decades. This album features elements of label alums like fun., Paramore, Fall Out Boy, and the modern glow of the recently signed Meet Me @ the Altar. By packaging so much raw emotion into this album that consistently delivers more than it misses, Twenty One Pilots have made yet another massive record perfect for summer and finding the light at the end of the tunnel out of this pandemic.

Twenty One Pilots are out for world domination, as is made entirely evident on Trench, the fifth full-length LP from the dynamic duo from Columbus, Ohio. From the first gripping notes on “Jumpsuit,” it’s clear that Twenty One Pilots are calling the masses to join them in their quest for being the biggest band in the world. The fact that this album is outstanding shouldn’t stand in the way of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun from accomplishing their goal.

Having previously heard the outstanding production of the singles such as “Levitate,” “Nico and the Niners,” and the aforementioned “Jumpsuit,” I had the inclination that Twenty One Pilots would continue to raise the bar on the already-lofty expectations for the artist. Holy hell, they pulled it off.

The first thing that stood out to me while listening to this comprehensive 14-track set is how damn good the production is throughout. Trench was produced by Tyler Joseph and Paul Meany (Mutemath), and they both hit a home run on this one. I was blown away by their other collaborative work, the EP TOP x MM, that was released for free back in December 2016, that featured several “reimagined” versions of songs from Blurryface as well as the brilliant single, “Heathens.” This continued collaboration is paying significant dividends for Twenty One Pilots as they continue to strive for a more organic sounding type of album that shines brightly.

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