Twenty One Pilots - Clancy Review – Clancy Provides A Fitting Conclusion To The Dema Storyline…

“Welcome back to Trench” are the first words of the duo's song "Overcompensate" from their seventh studio album, Clancy. While many fans hoped for a Trench 2.0, Clancy couldn't be further from it if it tried.

The ‘Dema’ story line has been a fixture in Twenty One Pilots’ music since 2018’s Trench. Listeners are willingly thrown into a narrative where the main protagonist, Clancy—revealed to be Tyler Joseph at the start of this album cycle—attempts to escape a fictional dystopia called Dema. This story line is largely a metaphor for Tyler’s mental health. It's easy to empathise with Tyler, who began this story line as a relatively young man. Fast forward eight years, and after a global pandemic, a wedding, and fatherhood, continuing this dystopian narrative was always going to be challenging.

One of the highlights of this album is "Next Semester," which genuinely gave me severe whiplash in the best way possible (Hey kid, get out of the road!). From head-banging to head-crying, "The Craving (Jenna's Version)" is a beautifully produced song that showcases Tyler’s lyrical prowess and ukulele skills. "Paladin Strait" wraps up the album effectively, although part of me was waiting for it to build into a heavier ending.

Overall, Clancy delivers a satisfying conclusion to the Dema story line. What will be interesting to follow is the direction the band takes after this album. With the Dema story line concluded and life continuing to evolve for Josh and Tyler, where will Twenty One Pilots go next? My money is definitely on Mulberry Street 2.0...

Star Rating

Out Of 5

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