Twenty One Pilots have always used their albums to create worlds. 'Vessel' was a scrappy, intimate record of bedroom daydreams, 'Blurryface' was a warped, trolley dash through playlist culture that wasn't entirely comfortable with its surroundings, while 'Trench' was a cinematic wonderland, driven by ambition and a desire for the band to not lose themselves in the global success that had found them. A cult band that never outgrew that desire for fierce connection, Twenty One Pilots create alternative realities to make sense of their own.
'Clancy' is no different, but this Twenty One Pilots album feels like a blockbuster event. From the urgent opening recap of 'Overcompensate' to the surprise encounter in the dying moments of 'Paladin Strait', it's an album of twists, turns and enthralling escapism. There's plenty of fanservice, but it never gets in the way of the band's desire to break new ground.
While 'Scaled And Icy' was a neon-drenched search for giddy joy, released at a time when anxiety underpinned every corner of daily life, 'Clancy' is an intense record that finds doom around every corner. The garage punk of 'Next Semester' sees Tyler playing in traffic and worrying if you can die from anxiety; the glam rock of 'Vignette' is a tribute to zombies and denial, while the rumbling 'Snap Back' has a bad feeling about everything.
Despite 'Clancy' serving as the conclusion to the 'Trench' trilogy (which started with 'Blurryface'), there are no sugary happy endings here. The record flits between the monsters that hide in the shadows and Tyler's struggle to drag them into the light. Rather than a story where light triumphs over darkness, the album is a celebration of perseverance and the strength that's found in community. There's plenty of hope, but it doesn't come easy.
As for the lore, there are enough nods to the ambitious, ever-expanding story of Clancy and his battle against the Bishops to keep fans busy for the foreseeable future, but that narrative never waters down the emotional gut punches and bursts of optimism that come thick and fast.
