REVIEW: Twenty One Pilots’ ‘Blurryface’ soars up charts

Maggie Shoemaker, Staff Writer

Premiering in the top five on more than twenty billboards across the world, it’s impossible to go a day without hearing Twenty One Pilots’ “Stressed Out” on the radio. Unfortunately, the song’s popularity has led to some negativity and annoyance associated with the band, and those with an aversion to “Stressed Out” neglect to experience the rest of their latest beautifully compiled album “Blurryface,” which was released in May 2015.

Together since 2009, Twenty One Pilots have only recently increased in popularity with some of their hits from “Blurryface” including “Stressed Out,” “Ride,” “Tear In My Heart,” “Lane Boy,” “HeavyDirtySoul,” and “Fairly Local.”

Members Tyler Joseph (singer, musician, rapper, and songwriter) and Josh Dun (musician and drummer) have said their music genre includes schizoid pop, indie rock, pop, alternative, alternative hip hop, rap,  reggae, indie pop, electropop, ukulele, acoustic; practically all music genres are represented in “Blurryface,” except for country.

As Tyler raps in “Lane Boy,” “honest, there’s a few songs on this record that feel common/ I’m in constant confrontation with what I want and what is poppin’ in the industry.” Although the first half of “Blurryface” veers toward pop/rock/reggae instead of their original poetic raps, nothing about this album is common.

The album itself flows from the most intense, almost dance songs such as “HeavyDirtySoul” to the ukulele-infused, acoustic-vibe and poetic “Goner.” The songs have increasingly profound lyrics with a slower beat as you near the end of the album.

I find “Goner” to be the best song on the album because of the intensity of the lyrics that contrast with the serene piano. “Goner” is the perfect song to end the album because it leaves the listeners questioning their own “blurryface,” Joseph’s name for the physical embodiment of their insecurities and the constant battle to overcome them.

In earlier albums such as their  self-titled debut, “Twenty One Pilots,” and “Vessel,” Joseph dared to explore his inner conscience and share it with the world in a depressing yet disturbingly catchy way. Some of Twenty One Pilots’ fan base, called the Skeleton Clique (because of the skeleton suits worn by the band during shows), had an aversion to the rising popularity from “Blurryface”; however, they generally feel a sense of pride for Joseph and the music he started years ago in Columbus, Ohio.

I firmly believe “Blurryface” is one of the best albums from 2015 that holds many hidden masterpieces overshadowed by its song “Stressed Out.” From rave music beats to existential crisis-inducing lyrics, there is something on Twenty One Pilots’ “Blurryface” for everyone.