Twenty One Pilots’ new album turns out to be a creative mess

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Fueled By Ramen

Megan Oosthuizen, Editor-in-Chief

Sweeping the world with their varying sound, Twenty One Pilots are back with a new album which can be best described as a hot mess — in a good way, though.

Signing with the infamous label Fueled by Ramen in 2013, Twenty One Pilots seemed to hit the ground running with their refreshing and impossibly unique album, “Vessel” in 2013. The perfectly paired duo, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun, manage to navigate a sea of genres with ease, leaving a lasting impression on even the most nonchalant listener. And their new album, “Blurryface,” is no exception.

Starting out hot and high energized with the song, “heavydirtysoul,” Joseph slays the bridge with his nimble, in-your-face rapping style. However, the album quickly diffuses into darkness with textured and clean-cut, “Stressed Out,” which shows the maturity the duo has gained since “Vessel.” The song also highlights the raw insecurities of Joseph, which is a common theme throughout the record.

The album seems to take a turn for the worse when reggae-themed songs, “Ride” and “Message Man” comes around. Twenty One Pilots’ ability to weave through different genres has positioned them above the typical pop playing on the radio, but proves to be a weak point in the album.

The album has little flow, switching from radio-ready pop to generic emo with songs like “The Judge” and “Not Today.” Self-described as “schizoid pop,” the pair definitely shows their ability to morph into different personalities.

All-in-all, the band makes up for the awkward flow of the album with Joseph’s unparalleled lyrics and just plain uniqueness of the album. What seems to be a mishmash of strange songs with interesting instrumentals quickly grows on the listener, making another successful album for the one-of-a-kind band.

Pros:

  • Unique, new sound
  • Relatable, profound lyrics
  • Incorporation of many genres

Cons:

  • No flow whatsoever
  • Cliche-sounding at some points