Music has a certain way of influencing how we feel, and twenty-one pilots (TOP) is a master at that.
TOP, the musical duo featuring Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun, is known for their introspective lyrics about depression, anxiety and the many demons inside the mind. What is most interesting about their new album, Trench, is the dystopian world, also named Trench, created by Joseph and Dun that serves as the setting and storyline for the album.
In a series of cryptic messages and hidden websites they revealed information about Trench and the city of Dema. Dema is controlled by nine bishops who police their population and enforce Vialism, a religion based on creating artificial light in glass vials representative of artificial motivation.
Dema and the bishops are symbolic of Joseph’s internal struggles and his reliance on religion to deal with them. Joesph focuses on one bishop in particular on Trench, Nico, who carries over from their last album, in which he appeared as the titular character Blurryface.
As a whole, Trench is about the cyclical nature of Joseph’s attempts to escape Dema. He escapes with the help of his friends, called banditos on the album, only to be comfortably dragged back by Nico.
The song “Bandito” explores how Joseph feels about Dema singing, “In city, I feel my spirit is contained, like neon inside the glass, they form my brain. But recently I discovered it’s a heatless fire.” Later in “Bandito” Joseph gets meta about why he created a fictional setting. “I created this world to feel some control,” Joesph sings.
Joseph’s lyrics are often informed by his Christian belief, but Trench is an interesting deviation. In an interview with Alternative Press Joesph explains that Trench is an exploration of a world in which God does not exist.
The last song on the album, “Leaving the City,” best expresses how Joseph feels about intrinsic motivation. “I’m tired, of tending to this fire. I’ve used up all I’ve collected,” Joseph sings. “The burning is so low it’s concerning, ’cause they know that when it goes out it’s a glorious gone.”
Joseph goes on to write about giving up, but trying not to in the long run. “In time I will leave the city. For now, I will stay alive.” Trench establishes the tone for the entire album on the first track, “Jumpsuit.” The heavy bass guitar and drum rhythm on “Jumpsuit” drive the beat, while the vocals range from soft and vulnerable, to the screaming cry of, “Jumpsuit, jumpsuit, cover me!”
Lyrically, Trench is the most cohesive and mature album they have produced as evidenced by the songs “Legend” and “Neon Gravestones.”
“Legend” is a moving tribute to Joseph’s late grandfather saying, “I’m sorry I did not visit, did not know how to take it when your eyes did not know me like I know you.”
“Neon Gravestones” offers a carefully crafted critique of how society essentially glorifies celebrities after they commit suicide with the lyrics, “We give them the highest of praise, and hang their banners from a ceiling communicating, further engraving an earlier grave is an optional way. No.”
Joseph battles suicidal thoughts, and so does his audience, so on every album he writes at least one song on the subject. In “Neon Gravestones” he writes, “Promise me this; If I lose to myself you won’t mourn a day, and you’ll move onto someone else.”
The audience can feel the pain Joseph feels in the lyrics and melancholic chords of the song. Joesph expertly makes his point about glorifying suicide by conveying that even if he commits suicide, he does not want his death to contribute to that very culture.
Joesph argues that instead of celebrating suicide, we should celebrate the elderly for their dedication to life. While Trench is a great album that deals with deep internal problems, it has some flaws. Songs like “My Blood” and “Morph” feature well written lyrics, but the beats are generic and over-produced.
The main riff on “Morph” sounds a lot like the simple rhythms of “human music” from the episode “M. Night Shaym-Aliens” from the television show Rick and Morty.
Overall, Trench is a thoughtful, introspective album that is very difficult to understand, even if you know the outside world-building of Trench and Dema. However, it is a very rewarding experience that only TOP can provide.