A Review of 'Trench'

As I lay here in bed this morning, there is only one thing on my mind—one of my favorite bands has just dropped a new album and I have’t listened to it yet. Three clicks and a cup of coffee later, I’m on Spotify, bracing myself. I haven’t heard anything but their singles yet, and wondered how they would fit into the narrative of the story that lead singer, Tyler Joseph, always tries to tell.

I took a deep breath and pressed play. Straight away I was struck by the contrast of the heavy tone with the light vocals. And I love it. The bass mixing into the rest was a far cry from the ukulele everyone was so used to hearing. Lyrically, the start was strong and I knew already that the rest of the album would definitely be a favorite for myself.

The second song flowed so smoothly from the first that I barely even noticed the transition. It was harder and let me hear each and every word despite the fast rapping. It was another one that I’d heard before and already knew that I loved.

“Morph” took me by surprise. I was so used to the harsh beats and heavy bass from “Jumpsuit” and “Levitate” that the softness was something that was needed for a comedown. I could hear the story in it where the others set the scene. It was relaxing where the others had picked me up.

As the music continued it pulled me into a song that made me cry the first time I heard it, and continues to do so. I can’t say this for everyone, but the memories that “My Blood” bring back to me are heavy. I can’t make it through the song without shedding a tear for someone I’ll never get to share it with.

The second was “Chlorine.” I knew it was going to be just as different as the rest of the album. The beat was interesting, but the lyrics were sad, and I had an instant favorite. I loved the softness and repetitive beat and clung onto every word, trying to memorize it so that I could sing along.

The sweetness between all the darkness in the music was without a doubt “Smithereens.” It was a different sort of love song and it made my chest flutter in the softest way. Despite the fact that it was discussing the harm Tyler Joseph would face for his wife, I immediately thought of my girlfriend and what I would do to protect her from any harm.

The piano threw me off. It hadn’t been a large part of the album so far, so when “Neon Gravestones” started with it, it was definitely unexpected. Thus far I’d heard people refer to this song as a "bop" and I was beginning to wonder if they knew what a "bop" was. Because this song was not a bop, nor was it even a jam. It’s a good song, but it’s definitely not what I was expecting. The softness on the drums tied in with the piano and the lyrics was beautiful, but that does not make it a bop. Not at all.

The next song definitely got me pumped. I don’t know what for, but I was ready to go out and get things done while listening to “The Hype.” It was a song that I felt on a level that I’d forgotten music could connect to, and when the ukulele hit I was beyond excited.

“Nico and the Niners” was one of my favorites from the first time I heard it. I even began learning how to play it for myself, or at least the parts that I could play for myself. So of course I sang along when it came on. I grinned and sang it long and loud, probably annoying my upstairs neighbors in the process.

The next song spoke of continuing onwards even when one was broken and bleeding. It talked about harming yourself and facing the consequences of the pain you’ve caused yourself. It didn’t try to disguise itself as a happy song. Thought the tone was upbeat, the song itself was almost difficult for me to listen to, but I still can’t write “Cut My Lip” off as a bad song.

“Bandito" was definitely not what I expected. Where going in I thought the song was going to be more like my previous favorites with a strong beat and lyrics made for dancing, this was soft. It felt like something I could fall asleep to, but it didn’t put me to sleep. It relaxed me without boring me.

The beat picked up again as the album flowed into “Pet Cheetah” and I was a bit surprised. The song was experimental and interesting. It wasn’t anything I’d heard before from Twenty Øne Piløts or any other band. It wavered from an actually good song into something that I felt would be heard when the villain in a sci-fi movie entered the room, but knowing that villains tend to have good taste, it actually worked.

“Legend” was repetitive, but in a good way. It was a sweet song to build up to a finale and it got me excited to finish up the album, then listen to it on repeat all over again.

The finale left us on a somber note. The metaphor of “Leave the City” wasn’t lost on me as it tied into growing away from a comfortable routine and facing one’s mental health. The entire album was about a place representative of depression and one’s ability to leave that place. This song was one that really drove that feeling home and made me wonder when I’ll be able to leave my own city and move on from the things I’ve been going through.

I’ve heard that it’s rare to love every song on an album, but somehow I’ve managed to find an album that I love wholeheartedly. This is the second one from Twenty Øne Piløts where I’m not afraid to say how much I love it.

It’s as emotional as Vessel, as experimental as their self-titled, as raw as Regional at Best, and as story driven as Blurryface. I went into the album ready to hear them going downhill from their success and instead I was utterly blown away by their music yet again and I really can’t wait to hear where they decide to go from here.