Trench lends insight to Tyler Joseph’s creative range

 

“Trench picks up where Blurryface left off with Tyler Joseph exploring the many dimensions of his voice throughout the album.”

Twenty One Pilots have done it once again, releasing another 14 song collection that will surely impress any listener. After three long years we finally have a new album to immerse ourselves in.

With catchy choruses, rapping, falsettos, belting and even screaming, Joseph shows listeners just how versatile his voice is. Couple that with powerful beats and underlying bass lines, Trench will have your ears buzzing.

The album starts out powerfully with two of its singles that sound drastically different. “Jumpsuit” introduces us to the Trench world and proves that Twenty One Pilots can still deliver catchy hits. As mellow as the verses are, the song comes to an explosive close. While “Levitate” is about half the length of “Jumpsuit”, it shows the other side of Joseph’s voice; the rapper with effortless flow. At the end of the song you hear “welcome to trench”, signaling the end of the intro to the album.

“Morph” is a great mixture of the two sounds. With verses that are rapped and choruses that are sung Joseph shows just how seamless he can weave between different vocal styles.

“Smithereens” is a standout song on the album, most noticeably for how different the lyrical tone is compared to the other songs on the album. It is an obvious love song dedicated to his wife that adds charm and humor to the album. Joseph says “You know I had to do one on the record for her” which acts as a humorous nod to listeners showing he is aware of his place in the song and the song’s place on the album.

In other songs we get glimpses of what kind of place the theoretical trench is to Joseph. In “Bandito” he says “I created this world/To feel some control/Destroy it if I want/So I sing…” Here we see Joseph explaining how he created the trench world to regain control over his insecurities and mental struggles.

“Leave This City” provides more personal insight. The lyrics  “But this year/Though I’m far from home/In Trench I’m not alone”, describe a mental safe haven where he doesn’t feel isolated.

Trench picks up where Blurryface left off with Tyler Joseph exploring the many dimensions of his voice throughout the album. Overall Twenty One Pilots deliver another powerful record full of love and, that will surely resonate with their fan base and have them singing loud for years to come.

The band will be touring this fall in celebration of the album release, stopping here in Detroit at Little Caesars Arena on Oct. 24. Stream the album on Spotify here.

*Photo courtesy of Fueled By Ramen