Not many bands commit to a concept for more than an album campaign. Rarely do they spend a decade crafting characters, settings and interconnected narratives. But Twenty One Pilots have always been dedicated to their lore, and the story they began to tell on 2015’s Blurryface now comes to a close on their latest outing, Clancy. Named for the main protagonist of 2018’s Trench, Clancy is conceptually elaborate and packed with easter eggs that will delight their hardcore fans – but the music itself doesn’t always live up to the band’s lofty ambitions.
Twenty One Pilots took the world by storm in the 2010s with their innovative combination of hip-hop, pop and rock paired with stark, vulnerable lyrics that centre on anxiety and depression, heralding a new era of alternative music that earned them a cult following. Such is their status now, that reviews of Clancy were strictly embargoed until the album hit streaming services on May 24, suggesting that their return should be seen as An Event. At the outset of Clancy, they channel their early innovation into two heavy hitters right off the bat. Overcompensate is punchy and chaotic, a multilingual reintroduction to the world of Trench, the fictional setting of our tale. These references will go straight over the heads of outsiders, but fans who have followed the journey will enjoy picking apart the lore.
