Whether it’s through large scale concepts, such as Melanie Martinez’s discography, or in a more bite sized fashion, like Katy Perry’s ‘The One That Got Away’ music video, it’s not unusual for artists to use music at some point in their career to tell a particular story. Lyrics, melodies, and even visuals work in harmony to reel the listener into the world that the musician is trying to create.Twenty One Pilots take this goal of resonating with people through storytelling to a whole new level. Music videos, cryptic hints, secret accounts and websites, are only some of the many ways in which the band has slowly but steadily crafted an entire fictional universe surrounding their work. How exactly is it that it came to be, and how does it make them stand out completely from the wide variety of artists out there is what this article will explore.
After breaking into the mainstream with ‘Ride’ and ‘Stressed Out’, two singles from their fourth studio album, Blurryface, the Ohio duo was able to branch out. What would follow would see Twenty One Pilots’ building an immersive world that grabs their audience, bringing them into their world. The album tells the story of an eponymous character that the singer, Tyler Joseph, created as an embodiment of mental illness, which he has struggled with since his teenage years. Blurryface is portrayed by Joseph, through him painting his neck and hands with black paint to symbolize the feeling of suffocation that these struggles constantly create; the character is also featured in several of the songs from the album as a deep, electronic voice. During this era, an account was created on twitter that posted several threat-like tweets in broken english and all caps, all to further develop his presence as a villainous figure that stands for those insecurities that they were trying to overcome.
The figure of Blurryface encapsulates something very close to Twenty One Pilots, something they have always stood for. Above all else, they are a band that are very vocal in their support of mental health who aim to normalise being open about their own experiences. Both members have discussed their relationship with negative emotions and struggling with what is often referred to as ‘inner demons’ and how their music often explores the journey into persevering and overcoming these emotions. In an interview with NME, Joseph dives into this concept saying, “I do think that our culture, when it comes to suicide and depression, has made leaps and bounds…I’m so proud that music has spearheaded the ability to talk about this so openly, and talking about it is so important.”
After a world tour of energetic and interactive performances and selling 1.5 million album copies domestically in the US, the band announced they were taking time off. It was then that they quite literally vanished for a year, only to come back in April 2018, but in a rather unconventional way. Fans noticed that there was a strange URL playing at the end of a GIF on their store website, which led to a file with five images, one of which was a letter. The letter was written by a character named Clancy, and it detailed his life in the post-apocalyptic city of Dema, where nine bishops rule over its different districts. One of the images also contained the layout of a structure that resembled a Tower of Silence, a place where vultures came to feast on the dead in the real Zoroastrianism religion. This set of images set in motion what is now the band’s universe, a place that expanded on their previous work and gave Blurryface a home.
Some time later, the website was changed and an error message was displayed that warned the viewer to keep this information quiet with an implication that the bishops might be watching. At this stage, the fans were now involved with Dema, and slowly more files were discovered. Images, distorted voice recordings, references to their previous eras, and, most importantly, letters were all used in order to gradually weave a story together. Their fans were left to figure things out and piece together the tale of Clancy. What is found is a tale about how Clancy slowly comes to the realization that the ‘home’ he has always known has been lying to him, that there is a world outside the oppressive walls of the city, and that a group called Banditos are planning a revolution. Sprinkled through the story are pieces about the upcoming record, Trench, to the importance of its yellow color as a symbol of hope.
These breadcrumbs from the band lasted until July 9th. Suddenly, billboards and posters were discovered around the world simply displaying the band’s logo like a signal. It all successfully managed to rally old and new fans back,a collective effort that allowed them to be directly involved in the reveal of their upcoming record. Joseph and Dun only came back onto social media on July 10th, as they dropped two singles, ‘Jumpsuit’ and ‘Nico and the Niners’, with a music video for the former. Much like everything else, the video is a link to the narrative that was being created in the months prior. The city of Kiev and the expansive canyons of Iceland were used to portray both Dema and the outside world, and bring to life the hazy, black and white images that had been uncovered up to that point. Two more videos were soon released for ‘Levitate’ and ‘Nico and the Niners’, along with a final letter. The new videos continued the story and finished the trilogy that established this narrative of a revolution against Dema. Similarly, the final letter from Clancy tells of the events from the ‘Jumpsuit’ video from his perspective, as he looks on from atop the canyons, which unites both of their narrative threads together.
The trilogy of videos tells of the Banditos, a representation of their fans, who, led by Dun, rescue Tyler from the city. In an interview with Rob Forbes, Joseph speaks about the experience behind crafting the universe of Trench, as it’s a deeper dive into what was established in their previous album: “The last record was about a guy named Blurryface, and I realized that the more you learn about those things that you’re insecure about… the more power that you have over them to try and defeat them, and Nico is a direct representation of Blurryface… it’s me learning more about him, and where he’s from, and what his name is, and how he controls me.” The story is, at its core, one that explores a very personal journey towards learning to live with mental illness. Through its carefully crafted and developed lore, it allowed for a sense of community to be created amongst their listeners and provided their music with a complex new layer of meaning.
The story was now established, with a mysterious open ending that left fans theorizing about what could come after. In the meantime, the duo was then able to take it a step further and use the world of Trench to enhance their live performances. The show opened with Dun walking on stage with a lit torch in hand, as a leader, much like in the music videos. Illuminated by a wrecked car that burst into flames,the deep bass from the ‘Jumpsuit’ intro began to play in the background. Visuals seemingly taken straight from the uncovered files accompanied the songs as crowds of people wearing camo outfits and yellow tape sang along in unison. This idea of unity is paramount to the band and the project as a whole, and what started as a rather personal concept turned into a collaborative effort between both artists and listeners. “This (record) wouldn’t be breathing without ‘em and they helped build this world as well,” says Joseph, expressing how the work that they put out is never done in isolation, and is very much influenced by their connection with the people that have stuck around to support them.
Fast forward to 2021, fans suddenly noticed the band’s twitter account header was decreasing in saturation by 21% every Wednesday. Once the strange countdown finished, a new single, ‘Shy Away’, was dropped along with a music video, and announcements for their 6th album and a live performance on May 21st. This all came as an immediate shock that increased when people heard the 80s synth-pop that completely defied the sound people had grown to associate with the duo. While having dipped their toes in a myriad of genres, from rap and R&B to emo rock, the upbeat rhythm of the song came as a surprise. To match it, the band released a series of posters styled after colorful and flashy 70s and 80s advertisements. Bright colors and graphics accompanied phrases like “Feel the saturation!” which made it all seem like merely a stylistic change, until we reach the fine print at the bottom of the posters. A disclaimer is given that the livestream in May is presented “in association with DMA ORG and Good Day Dema.” It only took a bit more digging to find that the album’s name, Scaled and Icy, is an anagram for Clancy is dead, along with a hidden warning in the posters that “SAI is propaganda.”
This twist in the narrative implies the bishops are the ones behind this complete rebranding of the band, as well as eliminating Clancy, who acted as a link between the listeners and this world. However, it is also a clever way for the band to explore new musical grounds. This new direction for the narrative and the music is a reflection of the strange and different circumstances that they have had to work in, as the lockdown forced them to adopt “a more imaginative and bold approach to their songwriting,” as per a press release. They have shared that this record will explore feelings of loneliness and anxiety that were brought to the surface during the pandemic.It is already clear that it is going to sound completely fresh and distinct from anything they’ve produced up to this point. Likewise, as theories and concepts continue to fly around their fandom, it is plain to see that the story of Clancy and Dema is far from over and there is much more to explore in this world. In the end, whatever direction it takes, Twenty One Pilots will continue to use this universe they’ve brought to life with their artistry to nurture the safe space that it has created for their fans all over the world, while also showing how storytelling and music can go hand in hand to create something purposeful, unique and full of life.
