Album Review: The Boys From Columbus Are Back
Daniel Peters
Contributing Writer
Album: “Trench”
Artist: Twenty One Pilots
Rating: Four out of five stars
Album Release Date: Oct. 5, 2018
Upcoming Concert Date: Oct. 22 at US Bank Arena in Cincinnati
After seeing Twenty One Pilots, who are from Columbus, live this past summer, I decided to give their music a try to see what all the hype was about. Initially, I only knew a few of their hits like “Heavydirtysoul” and “Ride” from their previous album and their song “Heathens” off of “Suicide Squad: The Album.” Other than that, I hadn’t had that many experiences with their music until I experienced their live show that flipped the switch in my brain.
Their most recent album, “Trench,” is a continuation of the story that Tyler Joseph, the lead singer, continues to conceive as every song progresses. He seems to really dig deep into the story and himself on this album. On previous records, Joseph builds upon this post-apocalyptic world and how it is controlled by nine bishops, called DEMA, each dealing with an insecurity or vice. The song “Nico And The Niners” is speculated among their fans to be about Tyler’s bishop and what he’s trying to do to Tyler. This leads me to believe that “Nico” is a voice that lives in his head and tries to get Tyler down and insecure about himself. Joseph appears to really put his heart, soul and talent into this album over the others. However, this album doesn’t seem to have as much airtime as earlier album “Blurryface” or their single “Heathens.”
Despite this, their fan base, dubbed “The Clique,” seems to embrace this album with open arms, and I believe it is the stepping stone album outside of “Blurryface” to really get into the band. I am not necessarily a fan of the music genre that they are a part of, but I fully support what they’re doing and I believe that they have many more years of fame and popularity. There are six incredible songs on the 14-track album: “Jumpsuit,” “Chlorine,” “Neon Gravestones,” “Nico And The Niners,” “Cut My Lip” and “Bandito.” For me, being into hard rock, I highly recommend “Jumpsuit.”