#and shout out chlorine and morph those are bops as well

[topweeklyupdate]

TØP Weekly Update SPECIAL TRENCH EDITION (10/6/18)

Ya’ll have had time to listen to the album. Some of you have it memorized already. So let’s pick apart Twenty One Pilots’ latest project track-by-track, explore the new themes and sounds that the band is exploring in this era, and also catch up on all of the latest news to come out in just the last two days.

This Week’s TØPics: 

A Complete Look at Trench

My Blood Music Video

Twenty One Pilots to Return to the American Music Awards

New Interviews About the Album

Picking Fights with Gaga? (Not Really, No)

And MORE!

Track Analysis:

Before we get started, we should acknowledge Trench’s wonderful liner notes, which besides boasting some stellar artistic design reveal a great deal of important information about this album. First, the overall cohesion of the album, like with all of the band’s albums save for Blurryface, can be attributed to the shared vision of the same production team on every track. The impact of Paul Meany on this entire album should not be understated: Paul co-produced every track save for “Levitate”, which he is instead given main credit for with Tyler listed as co-producer. He is also given writing credit on half of the album for his arrangements, again including “Levitate”. We musn’t forget the other heroes: the album was mixed by Adam Hawkins and mastered by Chris Gehringer. Also, the “thank you”s are both touching and occasionally very funny (“And to our haters, we know you liked stressed out.”)

I’ve already expressed my thoughts and reactions to the four previous singles in prior updates, so feel free to look back at them to fill in the gaps. 

“Morph” starts us off real strong with an absolutely stellar groove (thanks, Paul). Lyrically, the track features Tyler ruminating on death, considering its inevitability, worrying over its proximity, and questioning what comes after. It’s the most he discusses faith on Trench; Tyler considers looking “above” for answers a “blind belief”, but he still chooses it anyway, with some reservations. Ultimately, Tyler resolves to “morph to someone” else, to stay on the defensive against the insecurities leveled at him by Nico and keep moving forward. The song also features a “Judge”-esque shout-out to our boy Josh Dun within the stellar ending run- fitting, considering just how good his drums sound on this track in particular.

“Chlorine” is a definite highlight off the album, as it constantly mixes up flow and structure while never losing it’s laid-back psychedelic groove and its consistently excellent metaphorical examination of Tyler’s strained relationship with fame. I’ll be singing that hook forever. And the bridge. And that ending break-down that definitely sounds like a No Phun Intended sample. This thing’s a bop, potentially the best track on the whole project- and that’s really saying something.

“Smithereens” is an odd duck that feels like it doesn’t quite fit in on Trench but is nonetheless a very sweet and enjoyable tune. I mean, it’s love song that snuck onto this album that’s literally about writing a love song and sneaking it onto an album; I have to commend Tyler for being ballsy, clever, and artistic with his grand romantic gesture. I also have to commend Mr. Meany for sneaking that beautiful woodwind section in.

Before I even heard the album, I knew “Neon Gravestones” was going to be the stand-out track for a lot of folks. Rock Sound had promised that this would be the song that saves people’s lives, and hopefully it will. Tyler’s spoken word musings regarding celebrity suicide were always going to be controversial, and publications like The Atlantic and Alt Press have already questioned exactly what he means to say with the song. As someone who just recently lost a loved one to suicide, even I’ve struggled with this song’s message somewhat. Does Tyler disrespect the memory of those that have passed by telling us not to glorify them in death? It skirts close to the line a bit, and he certainly could have gotten a bit more specific in how he suggests we should react. But he reigns it back from the edge, as Tyler so often does when discussing mental illness, by placing the focus on his own lived experience. “If I lose to myself” is the most gut-wrenching lyric Tyler’s written in ages, and it really sells that this idea is something that Tyler truly wrestles with in dark moments. We really do have to de-romanticize suicide if we want to have a chance against it, and I’m proud of Tyler for taking those steps in a public way that can also help others. And the production? Simply bone-chilling.

“The Hype”, aka “Wonderwall” meets “Bittersweet Symphony”, is another highlight. Simple lyrics, sure, but comforting ones. Particular praise goes to the ending, when the echo effects layer onto the vocals and the ukulele comes into mix. One of many great “night-time driving down the highway” songs on this half of the album.

“Cut My Lip” is pretty easily my least favorite song on the album, which is not meant a harsh criticism at all. The overall vibe is very enjoyable, and I especially love how Tyler says “contusions”, but the song is just twice as long as the lyrical content actually warrants. It really is largely saved by Josh’s intricate drumming and Paul’s intervention with the reverbing psychedelic synths: it sounds just as sick as the rest of the album in those respects.

The last two minutes of “Bandito” may just be the best part of the entire album; Paul (I assume it’s Paul) really outdid himself with that composition. The rest of the song is great, too, with “I’m still not sure if fear’s a rival or close relative to truth” in particular standing out as an all-time Tyler Joseph lyric. I can’t wait to hear this live... God, I hope this is played live...

“Pet Cheetah” is... weird. But with a name like that, we expected as much, and it only makes all the more sense when considering the subject matter: writer’s block. Tackling that subject head on really seems to have given an extra boost to Tyler’s creative energies: his rap verse is straight-up fire in terms of both wordplay and passion. All in all, a fun curiosity to come back to when we want to remember that time Tyler wrapped about naming a cheetah after acclaimed British action star Jason Statham.

“Legend” is one of those songs that really is beyond criticism by virtue of its subject matter: Tyler mourning the loss of his grandfather. I do wish the song was given a bit more polish around the edges, but it still boasts a gorgeous horn section, and the rough sound helps demonstrate that this was a deeply personal project that we’re privileged to be able to hear at all.

“Leave the City” is the perfect ending note for this project. As Zane Lowe said, it never fully reaches the crescendo it seems to be building to, and all the better for it. The inclusion of a call to “stay alive”, now directed inward toward Tyler himself, remains a powerful rallying cry of hope, even while it expresses a sense of resignation to knowing our personal battles may never end. There’s no clear answer, only the promise that we are not left alone to face what the future holds. And that’s enough.

Taken all together, Trench was not the album I was expecting, and not at all in a bad way. There was relatively little in the way of “Jumpsuit”’s harder edge, nor was it as obtuse and concept-dedicated as the initial marketing had indicated. But it was still incredibly daring and ambitious, tackling song-structures and concepts that few pop artists (if we can still call them that) would dare approach. While I would have loved an album much more strictly dedicated to telling the story of Dema, I don’t know if most people would have, and that kind of railroading would have prevented Tyler from getting as personal and deep as he does here. There are ideas and individual lyrics on this project that have left their mark on me like few pieces of music have since... well, Vessel. It might not match that album in my own heart, but it might also objectively be the best thing they’ve ever done. 

Major News, Releases, and Announcements:

Shockingly, we’re not even close to done. As reported in the last update, the album’s release was accompanied by the release of an all new music video for “My Blood”. Unlike the prior three videos, this narrative takes place completely outside the world of Dema and Trench, featuring two rebel brothers dealing with all that suburban teen white boy angst (been there) and attending a real funky Halloween party in skeleton onesies, all leading up to a satisfying Fight Club revelation.

The video is also the first one since ��Tear In My Heart” to not be directed by Mark Eshleman or Andrew Donoho. The Clique’s new friend Tim Mattia has been directing some major music videos since 2012, including Troye Sivan’s Blue Neighborhood project, Fetty Wap’s “Trap Queen”, and major singles from The 1975, Zedd, Chris Stapleton, and many more. You can definitely tell the difference from the aesthetic (particularly Tyler and Josh being relegated to a glorified cameo). Still, it was a refreshing change of pace, and I look forward to seeing if it helps the song pick up any momentum at radio. 

Upcoming Performances:

American Music Awards, Microsoft Theater, Los Angeles, CA

Capacity: 7,100

On Thursday, we reported that Tyler and Josh would be signing copies of Trench in Hollywood this coming Monday. Turns out they weren’t just looking for some California sunshine- they’ll be performing at the American Music Awards. This marks their first professionally filmed performance this era and their first award show performance since... well, the last AMAs, where they put on a stellar show. Current reports state that the band will be playing “Jumpsuit”, but I would not be at all surprised if they mashed it up or tried to do something clever and attention-grabbing. Whatever they play, seeing the boys back playing live will certainly do wonders for promoting Trench- and it will definitely make me happy.   

Other Shenanigans:

Oh, we’re still not done. Irish radio station Today FM aired an interview they held with Tyler back on the Complete Diversion media day. The interviewer is brilliant and asked a bunch of thoughtful questions that show that he’s done his homework and cares for the band and its fans. Highlights include:

Tyler says that he doesn’t want to talk too much about the “easter eggs” of the marketing campaign (probably referring to dmaorg.info) because he feels it might take away some of the punch.

Tyler shares some very wise words about being aware of the cyclical nature of mental health and self-improvement. He didn’t end the album with a definitive answer because he has recognized that, in our individual journeys, we regularly get sent back to Square 1 and then are left all the more discouraged because we feel the effort is futile. Tyler suggests that awareness that will happen in advance- and that we are all doing it together- will help us to get back to the place we fell from more quickly each time. 

Tyler says that it’s incredibly “heavy” to hear fans say they saved their lives, and that he’s tempted to brush it off rather than deal with that weight. However, they recognize that their platform has given them a responsibility to serve their audience.

When confronted by the possibility that folks wouldn’t like the new imagery, the band had to fall back and just do what they thought was cool. They were so relieved by how well the Complete Diversion show went and how receptive everyone was to them.

The band will absolutely be moving forward with this Trench story- it’s not done yet, not by a long shot.

Australian music site Music Feeds also published a text interview with the band that’s another must-read:

Tyler discusses how Trench is largely meant to represent the “space between spaces”. He was particularly feeling strange about leaving Blurryface to approach this new album, so he channeled that struggle with finding yourself in a liminal space into the music.

He’s hinted at it in the past, but I believe this is the first time Tyler bluntly says that Blurryface is Nicolas Bourbaki.

Tyler jokes that they filmed in Ukraine because the workers don’t take lunch breaks and it saved them money.

Tyler says that all of the songs on the album “completely destroyed him”, but says that “Legend” was the hardest of all because of the subject matter and how he was still developing it as his grandfather passed.

Josh is looking forward to playing “Morph” live because of how different the drum pattern is from their previous work.

Tyler’s still listening to a lot of Death Cab for Cutie, while Josh is mostly just listening to podcasts like Lore.

“You can’t touch a hole.”

Also, in case you missed the title image, the band made a cute joke about A Star Is Born, whose soundtrack is increasingly looking like it will knock Trench away from a #1 debut. Some Lady Gaga stans are mad about it, I guess, but come on, that picture is hilarious.

-

Listen. We’ve been here for a long time. You’ve done a lot of reading of my inane ramblings. I was going to sum up some of the early reviews for the album, but I think I’m going to save that for the next time. Hopefully I’ll be able to include the opinions of a certain Melon... Catch you Friday.

Power to the local dreamer.

|-/

[odetobeconcerned]

Trench Review

Leaving out the singles that got released because I can’t remember how I felt when I first really thoroughly listened to the songs. Now that I have the time to truly sit down and listen, I wanted to share my thoughts. 

Track 3- Morph. The beginning is so bouncy and fun and once Tyler starts rapping it’s so chill and smooth. SURROUNDED... HOUNDED... I found myself bobbing my head during the chorus. MMMM yes, I really enjoy this one. I can picture myself driving and blasting this with the windows down on a cool fall night. This isn’t a song that I get bored of halfway through. The ending with the little instrumental is so fun, around 3:20 in. This is easily one of my favorites on the record. 

Track 5- Chlorine. I noticed the bass right away. This record has a very strong bassline to it. I’m not a huge fan of this song, it just seems flat and it doesn’t really have too much meat to it... I do like the little bits of the piano in the chorus. When Tyler starts rapping in any song though it makes it instantly better. His rap game is so impressive in Trench. Yeah... halfway through Chlorine and I’m bored and want to explore another song. 

Track 6- Smithereens. I love the beginning of this one. THE LITTLE SOUND like the transition bit to other lines is so cute. It just reminds me of spring rain. This song makes me smile. It’s adorable. This song is definitely Jenna powered. It makes my heart flutter! AH I love it. 

Track 7- Neon Gravestones. OOF HERE WE GO SLOW PIANO SONG. Slow paced songs with rapping is a win for me. I know this is a favorite for a lot of people. “Promise me this...” This one hits hard but idk it’s kind of meh to me. I can respect that this song was probably not easy to record or write for Tyler. This reminds me of Goner and I can see the boys ending their shows with this song. THE GRANDPARENTS BIT. Wow. Those few lines won me over.

Track 8- The Hype. I absolutely LOVE how Tyler tied in the ukulele in this one halfway through. This song is one of my favorites, along with Pet Cheetah. I can see Tyler bouncing around on stage with this one and Josh bobbing his head. This is the first song that I really noticed how strong Josh’s drumming is. I had the biggest smile on my face when I listened to this for the first time. BUT I CAN HEAR MY WAY AROUND omg I wanna scream it. 

Track 10. Cut My Lip. Immediate reggae feel with this one. The problem with slow songs like this though is that I get bored 30 seconds in. It’s the same pace throughout the entire song and that’s not normally their style. I do like the electronic-y bits they have in this one. Yeah no I don’t really like this one, not gonna lie. Skipped to another song about 3:40 in. 

Track 11. Bandito. Tyler is such a dork. Meh I’m not really digging two slow songs in a row. This one will definitely get stuck in my head though because of how repetitive it is. I like that I can still hear Blurryface in the background. Literally every single time that Tyler raps it pulls me back in if I’m getting bored. This is also the longest song on the album. With this one though I want to listen to it all the way through even if I’m eager to listen to Pet Cheetah lololol because I KNOW I love that song. This song kinda reminds me of how I feel during Hometown. 

Track 12. Pet Cheetah. I WISH THERE WERE MORE SONGS LIKE THIS ON THE ALBUM. This is the Lane Boy of Trench. I cannot get enough of this song. The lights during this song are going to be crazy live. BUT TYLER WHY DID YOU NAME IT JASON... I like his nod to the vultures in this one, keeping the concept album idea going. Yes yes very well done 10/10 this is a BOP. 

Track 13. Legend. I got an instant Steely Dan feel with the keyboard in the beginning. This one is special because this one is about Tyler’s grandfather passing. The ukulele is absolutely spectacular with this one. This is in my top 3 favs of the album. “My middle name, my goodbye.” Such a wonderful line. I’m glad that Tyler was able to celebrate his grandfather’s life with this one. He would have loved it. Also shout out to Spooky on the trumpet. 

Track 14. Leave the City. Goner sounding track. Very solemn. Spooky. Chilling. I feel like it sounds too much like Neon Gravestones though. This one makes me want more, but I’m sure that this will be interesting live. At times it kind of reminds me of Trees. I still feel like there are one too many melancholy songs on this record.   

Favorites in this order...

1. Morph

2. Pet Cheetah

3. Legend

4. The Hype

5. Smithereens

6. Neon Gravestones

7. Bandito

8. Leave the City

9. Cut my Lip

10. Chlorine

[emoloser2001]

Favorite Twenty One Pilots songs?

oh jeez, theres a few for sure.

taxi cab is probably my favorite of all time, but goner and truce make me cry every time i listen to them, so they're up there as well.

but honestly, besides taxi cab, the one that i listen to the most is holding on to you. its just such a good song.