By MICHAELA O’KEEFE
Contributing Writer
Alternative duo Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun are back after a year of public silence with their fifth studio album “Trench.” “Blurryface” (2015) rocketed the band into the mainstream, which resulted in 1.6 million copies sold, a Grammy win, and a two year long tour. The brand new genre-bending-fourteen-song album ranges from the bass heavy opener “Jumpsuit,” to the impressive rap flow of “Levitate and Morph,” to the ballad Leave the City.
Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun have always claimed their songs lyrically as their own. However, “Blurryface” featured a handful of producers for the LP, while “Trench” was produced with the help of only Paul Meaney, frontman of the alternative-rock band Mutemath. The album is arguably their best produced work and has a very cohesive experience from song to song. This is not down playing the immense variety of songs on the record.
The concept album “Blurryface” created the narrative of lead singer Joseph’s insecurities with his art, his own personal anxieties, and struggles with depression. “Trench” then builds upon the narrative beginning in DEMA, a fictional world of mental turmoil. Here, Joseph has attempted to escape time and time again, but is held back by nine bishops. The nine bishops are the nine songs illustrated on the cover of “Blurryface.” This can be interpreted as Tyler questioning himself if he can top the great success of “Blurryface.”
After escaping DEMA, with the help of a group of Banditos (representation of their fanbase) lead by best friend and bandmate, Dun, the group end up in Trench. They are able to do so by covering themselves in yellow, a color that represents happiness and light which the Bishops cannot see (“Jumpsuit,” “Jumpsuit/ Cover me”). This is the place of in-between escaping personal demons before reaching a personal happiness. “Trench” communicates this narrative through self-reflective lyrics, creative music videos, and their cryptic website, dma.org.
The band has always been one to combine genres such as rock, hip-hop, alternative, and pop to create their ever-evolving sound. The radio friendly single “My Blood” features a groovy bassline enforced by Dun’s quick drumming skills. “Stay with me, no, you don’t need to run”/ “Stay with me, my blood”/ “You don’t need to run,” Joseph sings in a smooth falsetto.
Throughout the band’s near ten year career, important topics have been touched on such as questioning religion, anxiety, and depression. An important song to highlight on this album is “Neon Gravestones.” In the topical spoken word song, Joseph states his feelings on the glorification of suicide in our current culture. “My opinion, our culture can treat a loss like it’s a win”/ “And right before we turn on them”/ “We give ’em the highest of praise”/ “And hang their banner from the ceiling”/ “Communicating, further engraving an earlier grave is an optional way”/ “No.” Tyler then suggests at the end of the song that we as a society should turn to our grandparents or someone of age for these questions as they have been dedicated to living.
Two more songs that cannot go overlooked on the album are “Cut My Lip” and “Pet Cheetah.” “Cut My Lip,” arguably one the best produced songs on the album, shows the many influences from other genres such as reggae with tell-all off beat chords. Key lyrics from the tune are “Though I am bruised, face of contusions”/ “Know I’ll keep movin’”/ “Rust around the rim”/ “Drink it anyway.” In other words Tyler and Josh are telling us that even though things are hard right now you can keep pushing through, whatever it may be. On the other hand, the up beat and heavy “Pet Cheetah” is one of the most interesting songs. This tells a narrative of how Tyler had severe writer’s block, and even though he should delete the beat of this song, he will push through and make it work.
Each song on this album brings a special edition to the DEMA narrative and own personal events in the duo’s life as now household names. The band heads out on their sold out Bandito World Tour kicking off in Nashville, Tennessee on Oct. 16.
