Twenty One Pilots Clancy

On twenty one pilots’ seventh album Clancy, the duo of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun have crafted a project that is both a culmination and a glimpse into the future. Narratively, Clancy wraps up a story they’ve been weaving since 2015’s Blurryface. Sonically, the Columbus, Ohio-bred group begins forging the next iteration of their style. “It feels like truly the beginning of an era, but an end to one as well—or will be,” Dun tells Apple Music. “I think it's been a great place to write songs from having this kind of story in mind, but I think that definitely by no means is it the end of our band.” Take the thriller “Next Semester”, which finds the group diving into elements of synth-pop, emo, dance-punk and more. It’s equal parts catchy and subtle, with Joseph’s lyrics almost directly in conversation with early themes the group focused on, like alienation, confusion and loneliness. He sings: “I don't wanna be here, I don't wanna be here/It's a taste test/Of what I hate less/Can you die of anxiousness?/I don't wanna be here, I don't wanna be here.” “Lavish” is a futuristic psych-pop track buoyed by glimmering keyboards and dusty drums. When Joseph sings, “Welcome to the style you haven’t seen in a while,” before delivering an intoxicating rap, he’s almost speaking to the creation of the album itself. It’s an ambiguity and a breaking of the fourth wall that the band has embraced. “Maybe there are conversations that will happen between friends who have followed the storyline and maybe have some kind of arguments over what the outcome was,” Dun says. “And I think that's cool.”