![]() In 2012, they signed to Atlantic subsidiary Fueled by Ramen, releasing the Three Songs EP and working with Adele producer Greg Wells on Vessel, their debut album for the label. Later that year, their second album Regional at Best surfaced, the first with the new lineup.Įxpanding their audience with a series of videos made by their friend Mark Eshelman, the band's brand grew and caught the attention of the major labels. Frontman Tyler Joseph recruited replacement drummer Josh Dun and Twenty One Pilots continued as a duo. The trio self-released their eponymous debut album of rap-infused, high-tech pop in December 2009 before Thomas and Salih left the band in 2011. ![]() The band enjoyed a couple more chart-topping hits prior to their sixth album, 2021's Scaled and Icy.įormed in 2009 by high school friends Tyler Joseph, Nick Thomas, and Chris Salih, Twenty One Pilots built an enormous regional following across Ohio and the Midwest, spurred on by constant and energetic touring, shrewd use of interactive social media, and connecting with fans on a grassroots level. Their 2018 follow-up, Trench, fared nearly as well, going platinum and peaking at number two. Featuring the Grammy-winning single "Stressed Out" and its follow-up chart hit "Ride," the release was certified multi-platinum and became one of the best-selling albums in the world that year. Closer to home, the touching "Formidable" presents a sweet and honest ode to love similar to Trench's "Smithereens." Whether or not they decide to revive their ongoing album mythology, Scaled and Icy will remain a quick dose of TOP perfection, a lean catalog gem that is bright, effervescent, and immensely addictive.Rising from Columbus, Ohio on the strength of a sizable grassroots following, Twenty One Pilots cycled through lineups and styles before the core duo of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun made their mainstream breakthrough with their chart-topping fourth effort, 2015's Blurryface. Elsewhere, that affirmative optimism gets a little more confrontational with "Never Take It," a catchy singalong anthem that stands up to societal division with handclaps and a beefy rock & roll guitar solo breakdown. The peppy "Good Day" lifts spirits with triumphant horns and a motivational, lyrical push to enjoy the beauty surrounding us even when life is at its lowest. Through it all, Joseph maintains a smile and hope for the future, matching the often-exuberant production with messages of measured positivity. With their wild creativity and fearless desire to experiment, they tackle breezy disco funk on the Greg Kurstin-produced "Saturday" go retro with Elton John piano-tinkling on the soulful "Mulberry Street" and remind listeners that Joseph can still spit a solid bar or two on the strutting Joywave-esque "The Outside" and the genre-blurring standout "No Chances," which blends dramatic chanting, faint country twang, a thick trap beat, and swirling, pensive atmospherics. Each of the nearly dozen tracks is a potential radio hit (singles "Shy Away" and "Choker" already proved that point by the time the record was released), all the more impressive considering Joseph and Dun pulled it off in the midst of 2020's turmoil. They only benefit from this focus without the pressure of the band's ever-growing mythology, Scaled and Icy is simply a feel-good album to be enjoyed and played on repeat. That nostalgic vibe transports listeners to TOP's early days - before Blurryface turned them into global superstars - when straightforward songwriting, melodic delights, and everyday themes ruled the day. The results are as the title suggests ("scaled back and isolated"), but could just as well be "tightened up and simplified," resembling the relatively lively and lighter fare of their first two albums. With COVID-19 halting what was to become the continuation of the lofty narrative of previous albums Trench and Blurryface, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun set to work in their respective home studios, exchanging ideas across the country. Crafted during pandemic, Twenty One Pilots' sixth full-length, Scaled and Icy, is a snapshot of the emotional highs and lows of quarantine life, set to some of the catchiest tunes that the Ohio-bred duo have ever produced.
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