Formed in 2009, Ohio’s TWENTY ONE PILOTS are something of a living breathing concept. Currently consisting of duo Josh Dun (drums) and Tyler Joseph (virtually everything else), they take their name from an extract of “All My Sons”, a play by Arthur Miller, basically referring to the notions of moral dilemma, self-doubt and inner turmoil, which conceptually is the very foundation of their music. Having signed to FUEL BY RAMEN records 2012 and showing great promise with their label debut; “Vessel”, it’s only natural that there’s expectation surrounding album number two; “Blurryface”. Are 21P facing greater, breakthrough success? Let’s find out…
The album gets underway with “Heavydirtysoul” and it’s almost instantly infectious. Tyler spits his lyrics like an established rapper of veteran status over layers of up-beat soft dub-pop, it’s got a heavy R’n’B feel to it, while the chorus is rich in its urbanized pop melody; the whole thing is incredibly slick and provides a highlight from the word go. “Stressed Out” on the other hand flips in the complete opposite direction being a far slower, methodical number, focusing on Blurryface himself; a character devised by the band to act as a metaphor for all of the insecurities harbored by everyone as individuals. It’s within Blurryface the character that the concept lies, and he is the means for the storytelling of Tyler’s lyrics. The song itself, musically, is nothing special but it’s about the content here.
The single “Tear In My Heart” provides the listener with a dose of soft indie-inspired pop, aided by some quirky lyrics resulting in a quaint little love song and a pleasant listen, while the rest of album fleets in and out of electronic-infused, indie rap-pop, with the occasional ukulele thrown in and even a dabble in reggae (because why the hell not?) until we reach “Goner”; a blissfully depressing little piano lead number that can’t help but sound sweet, despite its raw emotional delivery. Essentially, what can be said about “Blurryface” is that it’s a 50/50 album for all the right reasons. Firstly and commercially, there are no real solid hits here; which means it could easily be overlooked by the casual, neutral music lover, however, that doesn't matter. The strength and in essence the point of this record is to portray feelings, insecurities and to tell a story…fans will know where it’s coming from and rightfully love this…new listeners? It’s strongly suggested you give this the time of day if you want to appreciate it properly because despite sounding overall really run of the mill, it’s so much more. [7]
The album gets underway with “Heavydirtysoul” and it’s almost instantly infectious. Tyler spits his lyrics like an established rapper of veteran status over layers of up-beat soft dub-pop, it’s got a heavy R’n’B feel to it, while the chorus is rich in its urbanized pop melody; the whole thing is incredibly slick and provides a highlight from the word go. “Stressed Out” on the other hand flips in the complete opposite direction being a far slower, methodical number, focusing on Blurryface himself; a character devised by the band to act as a metaphor for all of the insecurities harbored by everyone as individuals. It’s within Blurryface the character that the concept lies, and he is the means for the storytelling of Tyler’s lyrics. The song itself, musically, is nothing special but it’s about the content here.
The single “Tear In My Heart” provides the listener with a dose of soft indie-inspired pop, aided by some quirky lyrics resulting in a quaint little love song and a pleasant listen, while the rest of album fleets in and out of electronic-infused, indie rap-pop, with the occasional ukulele thrown in and even a dabble in reggae (because why the hell not?) until we reach “Goner”; a blissfully depressing little piano lead number that can’t help but sound sweet, despite its raw emotional delivery. Essentially, what can be said about “Blurryface” is that it’s a 50/50 album for all the right reasons. Firstly and commercially, there are no real solid hits here; which means it could easily be overlooked by the casual, neutral music lover, however, that doesn't matter. The strength and in essence the point of this record is to portray feelings, insecurities and to tell a story…fans will know where it’s coming from and rightfully love this…new listeners? It’s strongly suggested you give this the time of day if you want to appreciate it properly because despite sounding overall really run of the mill, it’s so much more. [7]
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