TRENCH Album Analysis/Review - twenty one pilots (originally posted October 5th 2018)

So… TRENCH dropped at midnight in the UK today (October 5th) and I have been listening on repeat ever since. Here are my thoughts and opinions and ideas around Dema, Nico, Clancy, Vultures, Lions and Cheetahs. Yes, there is a LOT of symbolism and hidden messages, but what more would you expect from a twenty one pilots album? 

A few things to note before reading this review are the key concepts of TRENCH. Trench involves a lot of references to DEMA, Nico and Banditos. DEMA is the fictional location in which civilians are controlled and trapped in. DEMA is said to be the metaphor for mental illness- but as a physical place. Nico (and the niners) are the bishops who control DEMA and keep the civilians trapped - which is a metaphor for people’s inner struggles and coping with mental illness. The Banditos are the rebel group who wish to flee DEMA and oppose to their rules and fight to get away and take others with them. Nico and the Niners is the song on the album that goes into the most detail about DEMA and the TRENCH storyline.

The album kicks off with one of the originally released singles, Jumpsuit. This song just made me visualise what it is going to be like to see twenty one pilots live again. The song as a whole gives me Fairly Local vibes off their album Blurryface. It must be the screams “JUMPSUIT, JUMPSUIT COVER ME” towards the end of the song. The passion and angst is real and present. There are some really interesting theories from The Clique (the twenty one pilots fanbase) about what the Jumpsuit represents- from faith and religion, to any form of safety blanket or hope. The Jumpsuit representing this hope and faith is the key to staying alive - “I’m higher when I’m heavy” suggests this heaviness of the jumpsuit, the more you believe and hope and hold on, taking you higher and higher and lifting you from within the confinements of DEMA - the troubles of mental illness. Not only does the music video perfectly depict this, the video ends with the character Clancy represented by Tyler Joseph, being captured by what seems to be Blurryface. That’s right, Blurryface is given an appearance in Jumpsuit. This leaves the narrative open ended and the audience wanting more, wanting to know what’s happening. 

Levitate is the second song on the album TRENCH. The sounds of a vulture can be heard which is a great link to the symbolism on the cover. The song mostly consists of rap which is great in terms of diversity for the album, and it also includes references to older songs off albums such as Vessel, specifically Car Radio. I particularly enjoy the progression of the messages from previous albums to this one, and the lack of repetitive structure is what makes this song so unique. twenty one pilots are self aware -which in my opinion is a great trait- when it comes to their non conformity, mentioning structure in one of the verses. The lower toned voice that says “Welcome to Trench” would have been a great ending to the first track on the album. However it also is a good position on the second track, as Jumpsuit was the mysterious introduction and a taste of the whole album to come. 

Morph, the third song, explores themes of morphing as a defence mechanism. Tyler has previously used the character of Blurryface as a defence mechanism, and this album includes lots of morphing into Clancy, a Vulture, Lion and Cheetah. All of these animals/people/beings have different traits and personalities, perhaps to deal with certain situations. The whole idea of the Jumpsuit being a symbol of hope and faith could also be a defence mechanism, linking the themes of these two songs. Morph also has lyrics which mention morse code - a method which isn’t practiced by many. It takes a certain type of person to receive that message and decode the meaning, which could also be applied to The Clique. The way in which twenty one pilots release teasers are always coded in some kind of cryptic way which the fanbase then have to decode through their own skills. Message Man from the album Vessel also expresses this with the lyrics ‘these lyrics aren’t for everyone, only few understand’. ‘This inspires creativity and a way to keep their brains involved and invested in the further meanings of the album. The theme of belief is also explored in this song - talking about “if and when” we die. “If” is ‘purely panic’ with no definitive knowing or outcome, leaving questions unanswered and perhaps a belief in an afterlife. “When” being ‘solemn sorrow’, acceptance but not exactly peace with that when life is over it’s over. The questioning of god, belief, faith and religion is really interesting. There is a lot of questioning for a majority of people over “blind belief” - not being able to see what you believe in so why believe in it? And if we do make it to heaven  “Are we still in love and is it possible we feel the same?” - will we still be ourselves once we die if we are conscious in the afterlife? This is when Tyler talks about “going’ under” ‘taking his wonder’, but the song skips to the chorus, cutting these thoughts short. Just like a defence mechanism - which is mentioned in the chorus. 

My Blood is the next song on the album. I got an 80′s vibe to begin with which I didn’t immediately gel with but the more I listened to the song the more it grew on me and now it’s one of the top songs on the album for me. The song seems to explore the theme of mental illness which has always been a huge influence for twenty one pilots’ music since their first album. There is a theme of being light in the dark, I interpreted this as the music they make being the light for many people in a dark place- as many fans talk about and thank twenty one pilots for their music saving lives. “Stay with me, my blood” are lyrics from the chorus which could be a message to the fans. The Clique is considered a family as it is a strong fanbase, and the message to “stay alive” which is a line from Truce from their album Vessel.

Chlorine, I love love love this song. The interlude and the outro for me personally was a true euphoric listening experience. I really hope they play this live on their Banditos tour! The song seems to touch on Tylers relationship with writing music. The initial reaction to “sippin’ on straight chlorine” you’d associate with being toxic but it turns to “lovin’ what I’m tastin’” and “help my body run” along with “this moment is medical” suggests that writing music is his medicine, his creative outlet for his mind. The second verse mentions falling out of formation, being confined, and the repetition of ‘running for my life’ could suggest escaping a higher power, this could relate back to DEMA, using music writing to escape. 

Smithereens. So, this wasn’t a song I got particularly excited about. I found it as a bit of a filler song. But again, I gave it a chance, a few listens and I started to enjoy it a little more. It’s not my favourite by far, but it’s a cute, romantic gesture for Tylers’ wife. The lyrics being once again, very self aware, makes this song clever, quite sweet and funny. Tyler mentions “they think it’s messed up to sell out for your girl” ‘they’ possibly being the fanbase- and “you know I had to do one on the record for her like this” stating his dedication to his wife, Jenna. 

Neon Gravestones is the next song on the album and excuse my language but FUCKKKK. This hit deep in the feels. The glorification of suicide is a huge problem in today’s society. Tyler sings about his own battles with suicidal thoughts as previously explored since their first album and throughout the years. In this song there’s something so important about the way Tyler addresses so honestly that if ‘I lost to myself you won’t mourn a day’ - basically telling everyone to not glorify his death as his legacy. One of my favourite lines in this song is “Communicating, further engraving an earlier grave is an optional way, no.” The no is so blunt and powerful - and emphasises the idea of “my opinion will not be lenient”, there’s no sugar coating in this song. It’s purely spilling tea on the subject, so to speak. There’s no tip-toeing around the subject which can still be considered taboo. The final verse of this song has got to be my favourite verse on the whole album. The rise of suicide awareness is mentioned, but thinking about it from a new point of view. Using suicide as a weapon, a lesson to teach others, that if someone kills themselves it should be a lesson - but it should be known regardless. We should be celebrating people who are alive, the idea of respecting your elders who have dedicated years into their lives. It’s really an amazing message. I maybe shed a tear or two.

The Hype isn’t the song I rate the most on the album. I enjoy the beat and the drumming is brilliant- the tone reminds me of a summer song. I don’t have a whole lot to say about it, the song is pretty self explanatory out of all the songs on the album. 

Nico and the Niners however, I have plenty to talk about. This song was released as a single along with Jumpsuit. The song begins with reversed and lower toned voice from Josh in which there is a hidden message which is common with twenty one pilots. The voice translates to “We denounce Vialism. You will leave Dema and head true east. We are banditos”. This song is the song with the most symbolism of DEMA and what is stands for. DEMA is the fictional city that traps people, building a wall around them. DEMA is seen as a metaphor for mental health. Nico and the Niners are bishops. The bishops represent the citizens struggles and are the ones who are in control of DEMA. Clancy appears in the video for Nico and the Niners. He is a character that is represented by Tyler Joseph, much like the character Blurryface on their previous album. The Banditos are the rebel group who want to flee Dema, and take citizens with them. Their statement they are identified by is the colour yellow. We’ll win but not everyone will get out” suggests the battle of mental illness not being overcome by everyone. Not everyone makes it out alive which is unfortunately true. The visualisation of mental health being a city (DEMA) and being trapped really shows the physical struggle and impact of a mental illness. It’s not as easy as “just get over it” - it takes lives, it is very real. The idea that ‘you can’t see it’ so it’s much harder to explain is so true- so the city of Dema is as good of a visualisation as you can get when it comes to mental health. It really enforces the idea of being trapped in a horrible place and struggling to fight your way out. The song Truce on their album Vessel has the core lyrics “the sun will rise and we will try again”, implying taking each day at a time, you’re still alive, each day is new and full of opportunity. The same message is connoted through  the lyrics “East is up” - the direction in which the sun rises. There’s a whole lot more in this song that can be analysed and explained but this is the core message of Nico and the Niners. 

Cut My Lip is definitely up there in my favourites on the album. I love the relaxed vibe of this track. It is definitely one of the tracks I’ve had a harder time analysing but it has the theme of going back to something that’s hurting you, but it being necessary to survive. ‘Rust around the rim, drink it anyway, cut my lip’ ‘I keep on going back even though it’s me I abuse I’ll keep on going back’. The repetition of the same behaviour is something similar to an addict. The song also involves symbolism of a lion, which are notoriously known for being brave and courageous. Tyler mentions “lean on my pride” which could symbolise the clique as he is the lion. This shows a suggestion of the huge support network within the clique and leaning on each other for support when these behaviours of self destruction repeat. 

Bandito was also one of the songs I again, was not amazingly keen on.. but now it is one of my favourites. I know it feels like I’m saying that for every song, but this album is magnificent. Each song is just beautifully crafted in their own way. As mentioned already the Banditos are the rebel group- wanting to flee DEMA. These are the people who struggle with mental illness in their own ways. Taking the high road vs going low is a theme explored in this track. Taking the high road could potentially be selling out and ‘knowing’ that they are going low means they choose to rebel and stay low which is also a reference to their song Lane Boy from Blurryface: “Why-:.Do I kneel to these concepts?-:.Controlled by temptation.-:.“Stay low,” they say.-:.“Stay low.” The theme of DEMA is once again mentioned with the lyrics “I created this world to feel some control”. After some research the phrase “Folina Saloh” allegedly means ‘to enable expressive creation’ - I have no definitive knowledge of this but if this is true it makes complete sense and is a beautiful phrase to incorporate when explaining the fictional creation of DEMA and how creating this place has enabled some control for Tyler and immersing twenty one pilots and a lot of their fans as banditos who are tough and will fight their way out of their own ‘DEMA’. 

Pet Cheetah…. First of all, the beat. That BEAT though. I can already imagine hearing it live and going cold from the euphoric sounds. The theme of writers block is sang about, which is common amongst all writers and lyricists. The song is a fast pace just like a cheetah, like twenty one pilots are in a rush to produce something for the fans. Then it slows down at the chorus, and there is  a step back from the pressures of having to write for hours and coming up with nothing. Tyler mentions the clique and how they have made twenty one pilots what they are today, and how he values the twenty one pilots fanbase for sticking around during their hiatus when they were creating Trench. For a song that’s quite repetitive and not as many wordy verses as other top songs I really enjoyed this.

Legend has grown on me a bit since I first listened to it. It definitely has more of a Vessel era vibe, even a slight 80′s sound influence in my opinion. It’s a really sweet song with a lovely message and a goodbye to Tylers’ grandfather who passed away, but it doesn’t feel like it matches the rest of the vibe from Trench.

Leave the City is an emotional one. It has the Goner and Truce vibes, a true piano ballad ending to the album. “They know that it’s almost over” is potentially referring to The Clique who have listened to the previous albums and know the final closing songs is usually emotional. There is mention of the touring they did and that they took a long time to come back off hiatus but they worked hard to produce Trench while they were gone for the clique. “In Trench I’m not alone, these faces facing me” suggests they are ready for the new tour, to meet familiar and new faces in the crowd. Though they are going away from home again they have their fanbase family to support them through their touring. 

Overall In my first 24 hours of listening to Trench I am really enjoying it. My top songs are:

1. Chlorine

2. Neon Gravestones 

3. Cut My Lip / Banditos / My Blood (I couldn’t decide between these three!)

I really can’t wait until I hear these songs live in February, I may even review the concert.What I really enjoy about this band is they have no definitive music genre or style. Everything is different which allows for conflicting opinions but diversity is just what music is about. 

The album doesn’t feel as ‘complete’ as Blurryface with the storyline - we witnessed the start and end of the character, whereas this one is a bit more up and down in the narrative. Which leaves it open for discussion and theory which is probably what twenty one pilots intended- it can be a good thing though, it allows fans to create their own interpretations and ideas and analyse as much as they like!