The last time we got an album from Columbus duo, Twenty One Pilots, was back in 2015. I remember it vividly: it was very close to my high school graduation date. I spent the rest of that summer giving all of my love to Blurryface.
However, this article is about their new album: Trench. This album, just like Blurryface, tells a story. Blurryface told the story of lead singer Tyler Joseph and how he fought his demons, aka Blurryface. In Trench, Joseph is fighting and running from different evils known as Nico, the bishops, and Dema. These are more metaphorical forces than in the last album, but many fans believe they can still stand for depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.
There were four singles for this album: Jumpsuit, Nico and the Niners, Levitate, and My Blood. Jumpsuit and Nico and the Niners were released first as a set. Jumpsuit hit me hard with it's amazing bassline and Joseph's screaming towards the end of the song. Even after the release of the album, this song still stands as one of my favorite songs. Nico and the Niners is more chill, but nonetheless, it is still an amazing song.
Next we have Levitate. This song shows off Joseph's rapping skills, something we all know and love. This song was deemed as the "new Heavydirtysoul" by fans, and it is very obvious why. The final single to be released was My Blood. It is theorized that this was only a single because it was leaked during an awards show. Either way, I absolutely love this song. It has more of a "funky" vibe, and I adore it. It's very different from what I have seen from Twenty One Pilots in the past, but that isn't a bad thing in this context.
There are many good songs here, but my favorite is definitely Pet Cheetah. I know, I know, you're probably thinking to yourself, "A song called Pet Cheetah can't be THAT good." Well, you would be wrong. This song is so good, from the guitar riff in the beginning of the song, to the rapping, to the drop and chanting of "pet cheetah" towards the end of the song. This song probably goes off live, and from the videos I've seen, it definitely does just that.
This opinion is going to be more "controversial" since a lot of fans love this song, but I cannot stand Chlorine. If you know me at all, you know that I don't get super critical on Twenty One Pilot's material, and this is mainly because, for the most part, I love everything they put out. This track, however, is an exception. It's just way too repetitive for me. And this is something I never thought I'd ever say, but Tyler's vocals aren't the best here. I think there are way better songs that deserve more recognition on this album (like Pet Cheetah).
Other than that one setback, this album is nearly flawless. And for that reason, I'm giving this album a strong 4.5 stars out of 5.
Favorite Songs: Pet Cheetah, Jumpsuit, My Blood, Neon Gravestones, Legend, Cut My Lip, Leave the City
