Twenty One Pilots in its purest form. Opener “City Walls” is a five-minute litmus test, with gigantic “oh-woah” hooks, soaring choruses, fuzzy bass tones, overdriven drums, and yes, rapping. It’s also pure fan service; teh deeply ludicrous $1 million music video frequently calls back to past work and the song itself interpolates their single “Holding on to You.” It’s fascinating to hear a Christian-adjacent band reprise the words “entertain my faith” as the video depicts Clancy’s submission to a religious cult, but this isn’t the band to handle those implications.

Having once contributed to the Suicide Squad soundtrack, Pilots now convey the bubbly energy of James Gunn’s Superman reboot. You don’t need to know about the Bishops’ necromancing powers to enjoy the frenetic snowboarding-game breakbeat and maniacal vocal processing of “The contract.” There are dumb-clever antics throughout: “Garbage” teases an uplifting “Something Just Like This” piano part before Joseph blurts out “I feel like garbage!” The song “Rawfear” speeds up on the line “never slowing down,” then abruptly returns to the original tempo-because he can’t escape the cycle. There’s hardly a breather until “Cottonwood,” a loving tribute to Joseph’s grandfather, and the meditative closer, “intentions.” There’s also “Downstairs,” a dolled-up demo from their pre-major label days, but the vestigial self-seriousness feels out of place on an album like this.

The most engaging motif in the Pilots catalog remains Joseph’s complex relationship with his fans.on Vessel standout (give or take a reggae break) “Guns for hands,” he felt responsible for their mental health as his own deteriorated. On Trench ballad “Neon Gravestones,” he cautioned them not to glorify his death should he one day lose his battle with depression. The tension comes to a head on Breach. Earlier this year, somebody stole a drum from their show, and the band asked fans to help locate it.

Twenty One Pilots’ “Breach” Is a Bold, Experimental Return

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Buy “Breach” from Rough Trade ($30)

where to Buy Twenty One Pilots’ ‘Breach’ Vinyl

Twenty one Pilots’ latest album, ‘Breach,’ is available on vinyl. Hear’s where fans can purchase the record:

Available Retailers

• Amazon: Currently listed, price unavailable. check Amazon
• Target: Available as a Target Exclusive Red & Black Blend Vinyl for $26.Check Target

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