TØP Clancy - Track by Track
by Claire Johnson | August 4th, 2024
Photo by Ashley Osborn | @Ashleyosborn
Twenty One Pilots released their 7th album “Clancy", on May 24, 2024. Revisiting the sound of their older records, “Clancy” fits into more of an alt rock genre similar to “Blurryface” and “Trench”, compared to their heavily pop-influenced record, “Scaled and Icy.”
Originally scheduled to be released on May 17th, the band pushed the date back in order to have time to film music videos for each track on the album. Members Tyler Joseph and Joshua Dun worked with their long time friend, collaborator, and creative director, Mark Escheleman in order to film all of the music videos for the album.
My first initial listen to the album was during Twenty One Pilots’ livestream at midnight on May 24, 2024. The livestream was streamed on Youtube from Tyler’s home in Columbus, Ohio with Josh and Mark, and featured music video premieres to accompany each track.
The opening track on “Clancy”, Overcompensate, starts with simple piano notes and morphs into a more electronically produced sound, reminiscent of their 4th and 5th studio albums, “Blurryface" and "Trench" respectively. Sampling lyrics from Twenty One Pilots song Bandito from “Trench”, Overcompensate brings listeners back to the story told through “Trench”, creating anticipation for the rest of the album.
Photo by Ashley Osborn | @Ashleyosborn
Track two, Next Semester, has a lot of layered vocals during the chorus creating a choir-like sound. According to Tyler, the song went through multiple variations during the writing process, but he stuck with his original version. Tyler’s favorite part of the song is the way the chorus progression seamlessly goes back into the verse progression.
The Backslide music video marked Josh Dun’s directing debut and according to Josh, is all about burgers. One interesting fact about the song is they interpolated the melody from Chlorine (Trench) in the lyrics “water’s over my head.” To me, I noticed a unique difference in the pre chorus, as well as instrumentals that are almost jazz-like mixed with melodic synth elements.
Photo by Ashley Osborn | @Ashleyosborn
Midwest Indigo is Tyler’s ode to Columbus, almost like a love letter to his home state. My first reaction to the song was a 5 out of 5 for creativity and diversity between the verses and chorus. The song is super smooth and carries traditional pop melodies. The music video was originally supposed to feature Josh’s brother, Jordan, and his wife, Debby Ryan Dun, however due to scheduling conflicts, Jenna Joseph filled in.
Routines In The Night is by far my favorite song on the album due to its catchy rhythm and upbeat melody. It is the perfect song to dance to, and even with an energetic sound, the lyrics still convey Tyler’s internal mental struggles, which add depth to the song in a meaningful way. The song would probably not have ended up on the album if it weren’t for Josh advocating for it, as it was not a song Tyler was in love with compared to some of the others. As a listener, I am glad the song made the cut and give all my thanks to Josh for making it happen.
Vignette opens with an orchestra filled with strings followed by loud screeching vultures. The power behind the strings really stands out to me because of the way it sets the tempo for the song before progressing into the first verse. Tyler mentioned during the livestream that the song is about struggling with addiction, which is clear through Tyler’s storytelling within the song.
The Craving (Jenna’s Version) is a loving tribute to his wife. The music video features old clips and footage from the early years of when Tyler and Jenna first started dating until now projected on a screen behind Tyler as he sits on a stool with just a microphone and his ukulele. The song is definitely the sweetest song he has ever written for his wife. Others include Tear In My Heart (Blurryface), Smithereens (Trench), and Formidable (Scaled and Icy), all of which pay tribute to Jenna, but are less ”mushy” and have less endearing lyrics. There is also a single version of The Craving that has more instrumentals and production aspects.
Photo by Ashley Osborn | @Ashleyosborn
Lavish is a nice break in the middle of the record that focuses less on the heavy lyrics and dark storyline of the album, and more on its fun, playful energy. The song is filled with clever lyrics and witty comebacks that make the song a fun one to sing along with. The music video for Lavish may be one of Tyler’s favorites filmed for the album.
Navigating, like Vignette, also begins with big instrumentals but introduces more rock characteristics as the song progresses, creating the feeling that you are listening to a huge ballad. The chorus is filled with anthem-like lyrics and soaring vocals. The whole song reminds me of the Chlorine outro from “Trench.” Tyler says it is the least favorite on the record, however, many fans have expressed their feelings about how they can’t imagine the album without the song on it.
Snapback was mentioned on the livestream as the one song Tyler would defend with his life. He shared how proud and passionate he is about the song during the livestream. The music video for Snapback was the first one filmed for the album. The song feels like a throwback to The Judge (Blurryface) mixed with added nostalgia and also name drops, Backslide, the third track from “Clancy.”
Oldies Station was written for the fans and the journey they have traveled alongside Tyler over the years through his music. Tyler also listed the song among the ones he would defend relentlessly. Many fans identified with the song as the lyrics discuss perseverance, strength, and the will to keep fighting. The song emotes a heavy, but proud relief for listeners who can relate to the lyrics and the struggles they have endured. The bridge is my favorite part of the song as Tyler lists multiple metaphoric scenarios that might seem insignificant to most, but hit close to home for a lot of his fanbase as small but valiant victories in their lives. It was a beautiful example of excellent storytelling within songwriting.
Photo by Ashley Osborn | @Ashleyosborn
The beginning of At The Risk of Feeling Dumb makes me feel like I am at a carnival with the way the intro was produced. The lyrics talk about loneliness and not wanting to be a burden to others. The chorus is extremely elevated and has a dynamic progression between the verses. The structure of the song and the change in instrumentals is pleasing to the ear as the song progresses. Apparently, there were 54 different versions of the song in the making of the album.
Paladin Strait is the 13th track on the album and supposedly wraps up the final battle between Clancy and Nico, the characters created by Tyler that fans have been following through his last 4 albums. The song is mellow and calming, but also makes the listener feel a sense of purpose and yearning as the final battle comes to the forefront.
Clancy is supposedly the last album telling the on-going story that has been told through the past 4 albums. The final music video for the album is supposed to tie up all the loose ends of the story, however there are many fan theories about a continuation of the album due to the vague ending to the music video and the final track’s spoken dialogue in the outro.
Twenty One Pilots World Tour was announced on March 27, 2024, two whole months before the album was released. Opening night of the North American Leg is set to kick off in Denver Colorado on Thursday August 17, 2024 at Ball Arena, followed by a second night at the same location before moving the entire production to the next major city.
The full track-list and all tour dates are listed below-
Overcompensate
Next Semester
Backslide
Midwest Indigo
Routines In The Night
Vignette
The Craving (Jenna’s Version)
Lavish
Navigating
Snapback
Oldies Station
At The Risk Of Feeling Dumb
Paladin Strain
NORTH AMERICA
August 15, 2024 Denver, CO Ball Arena
August 18, 2024 Salt Lake City, UT Delta Center
August 21, 2024 Portland, OR Moda Center
August 22, 2024 Seattle, WA Climate Pledge Arena
August 24, 2024 Oakland, CA Oakland Arena
August 25, 2024 Sacramento, CA Golden 1 Center
August 27, 2024 Los Angeles, CA Intuit Dome
August 28, 2024 Los Angeles, CA Intuit Dome
August 30, 2024 Phoenix, AZ Footprint Center
August 31, 2024 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena
September 3, 2024 Austin, TX Moody Center
September 4, 2024 Houston, TX Toyota Center
September 6, 2024 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
September 10, 2024 Duluth, GA Gas South Arena
September 11, 2024 Orlando, FL Kia Center
September 13, 2024 Raleigh, NC PNC Arena
September 14, 2024 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
September 15, 2024 Baltimore, MD CFG Bank Arena
September 17, 2024 Newark, NJ Prudential Center
September 18, 2024 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center
September 20, 2024 Boston, MA TD Garden
September 25, 2024 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
September 27, 2024 Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena
September 28, 2024 Cleveland, OH Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
September 29, 2024 Detroit, MI Little Caesars Arena
October 1, 2024 Chicago, IL United Center
October 2, 2024 Chicago, IL United Center
October 4, 2024 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena
October 5, 2024 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena
October 8, 2024 Indianapolis, IN Gainbridge Fieldhouse
October 9, 2024 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
October 10, 2024 St. Louis, MO Enterprise Center
October 12, 2024 Minneapolis, MN Target Center
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
November 17, 2024 Auckland, NZ Spark Arena
November 19, 2024 Melbourne, AU Rod Laver Arena
November 21, 2024 Brisbane, AU Brisbane Entertainment Centre
November 24, 2024 Sydney, AU Qudos Bank Arena
EUROPE AND UK
April 7, 2025 Hamburg, DE Barclays Arena
April 8, 2025 Berlin, DE Uber Arena
April 9, 2025 Lodz, PL Atlas Arena
April 12, 2025 Prague, CZ O2 Arena
April 13, 2025 Vienna, AT Wiener Stadthalle
April 16, 2025 Zurich, CH Hallenstadion
April 17, 2025 Bologna, IT Unipol Arena
April 21, 2025 Madrid, ES WiZink Center
April 22, 2025 Barcelona, ES Palau San Jordi
April 24, 2025 Lyon, FR LDLC Arena
April 27, 2025 Munich, DE Olympiahalle
April 28, 2025 Milan, IT Forum
April 30, 2025 Amsterdam, NL Ziggo Dome
May 1, 2025 Cologne, DE Lanxess Arena
May 2, 2025 Paris, FR Accor Arena
May 5, 2025 Glasgow, UK OVO Hydro Arena
May 6, 2025 Birmingham, UK Resorts World Arena
May 8, 2025 Belfast, UK SSE Arena Belfast
May 9, 2025 Dublin, IE 3Arena
May 11, 2025 Manchester, UK AO Arena
May 13, 2025 London, UK The O2
May 14, 2025 London, UK The O2
Get tickets to a show near you Here
Listen to Clancy
