Twenty One Pilots – Breach

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It’s both hard and easy to believe that Twenty One Pilots are at the point in their career where they have now released eight studio albums. The band have been scene mainstays since being signed to Fueled By Ramen records in 2012, and yet many casual fans don’t realize that Twenty One Pilots also released two other LPs in advance of their major label signing. Breach comes storming onto the rock scene brimming with a similar sound to TOP’s arsenal, and the new record is catchy, familiar, and filled with several key thematic callbacks to keep fans engaged. It’s been just over a year since Twenty One Pilots released their seventh studio album, Clancy, and Breach feels more confident, urgent, and moves the needle even further in a positive direction in TOP’s creative approach to blending so many genres in their music. The set was produced by Paul Meany, Mike Elizondo, and the band’s vocalist Tyler Joseph. The set was preceded by three singles in “The Contract,” “Drum Show” and most recently, the sprawling, bass-heavy opener of “City Walls” that was accompanied by a long-form music video of the five minute-plus song. Breach ultimately ends up being one of the most thrilling records, if not the most important album, since Twenty One Pilots first formed in 2009.

Once you start the journey of Breach with the third single of “City Walls” that opens up the LP, the world that Twenty One Pilots once again invite us into is filled with the themes of friendship, relationships, war/violence, and personal struggles. After Tyler Joseph raps over the bass line supplied in the first verse of the track, he explores the world around him with the refrain of, “I wonder where you are / I wanted you to show me / The way around those city walls / The way on through / I wonder where you are / I wanted you to show me / But now the night has fallen / Abandoned by the sun.” The vivid lyrical imagery is both darker than say the material from Scaled and Icy, but much more in line with the style of Clancy/Trench. The opener ends with that familiar eerie sound from Blurryface to remind fans that this is the same band they fell in love with in the first place.

”Raw Fear” is my favorite song from the set, and it does a great job of accelerating towards the finish line with some incredible drumming behind the kit from Josh Dun. The slick chorus of “Raw fear moves me, sounds of empty Uzis / Life is just forever nipping heels, never slowing down / Raw fear moves me, sounds of empty Uzis / Life is just forever gripping feels, never slowing down,” is as smooth as silk, and Joseph’s delivery is crisp and pointed. The band explore concepts like war and violence that can lead to political uproar without sounding too preachy about it. “Drum Show” allows the perfect landscape for Dun to explore the limitless possibilities of his approach behind the kit, and made sense for a second single to precede the release of Breach.

”Garbage” finds Tyler Joseph diving deeper into his personal arsenal, as he sings, “I’m biting down on my shirtsleeve / I’ll lash out if you’re in arm’s reach / I’m so lost, like ‘What is happening?’ / Like, like, I feel like garbage,” as he gets the audience to bounce along with him in his current headspace. The piano and orchestra work well and are in-sync with each other as they provide a picturesque landscape for the band to explore over. “The Contract”, to me, sounds like a song Linkin Park would’ve tried to outline themselves, instrumentally, as the song structure is dripping with their blueprint. The difference between the two bands is that Tyler Joseph is able to do both Mike Shinoda and the late-Chester Bennington parts with ease, as he goes from quick, rhythmic rapping to a smooth croon. The song was an obvious choice of a lead single for Breach as it helps tie all of the styles and themes together nicely on this collection of 13 new songs. The chorus of, “I don’t sleep much, that’s crazy, how’d you know that? / Keep myself up, that’s maybe how you know that / Ooh, promises and contracts I used to keep / I don’t sleep much, that’s crazy, how’d you know that? / Keep myself up, that’s maybe how you know that / Ooh, my hallucination I used to see,” plays out like a conversation between two people confiding in each other and it’s one of the cooler moments, lyrically, to be found on the new record.

”Downstairs” is one of the rare TOP songs to feature a dramatic key change in one of the last choruses, and it showcases the band’s unwavering ability to take calculated risks in their music. Lyrics like, “Oh, what have I become? / Dirty and wretched one / Am I unholy man? / Have I forced your hand?” find Tyler Joseph leaning in his legacy and pondering whether he’s made the right choices in his life that may drive him to a different path in the afterlife. It’s a pretty unique song from the band, and it’s one that I’m glad exists in the same timeline of my life. “Robot Voices” leans into the dangers of becoming too reliant on AI devices like ChatGPT, as Joseph admits, “I wasn’t looking for love this year / But my robot told me that I shouldn’t fear / When I met you I found you safe and warm / And the robot voices would reassure me,” in an electronica-based chorus. The contrast between the poppier verses and more guitar-driven choruses complement each other well in this context.

”Center Mass” is the only song that sounds a bit out of place in Breach, and it comes on in a curious place on the vinyl record, which is following “Robot Voices”. The track opens with the sound a vinyl crackle that blends into a jazz bar type of production, while the drumming of Josh Dun helps the song avoid the flaw of sounding too bland. “Cottonwood” again relies first on softly struck piano chords, and features a softly sung chorus of, “I look back in time through a telescope / I’ve been catching my / I’ve been catching my / My reflection already looking.” It’s a somber reminder to let us take the time to reflect on the material that has come before it, but ultimately it ends up breaking up some of well-earned momentum early on.

”One Way” puts the Breach train back on the right track with an 80’s new-wave type of song that is dripping with heavy bass and synths, and more simplified drumming from Josh Dun as not to distract from the vibe put forth in Tyler Joseph’s stunning vocal performance. “Days Lie Dormant” once again turns the album on its head with a dramatic tempo change, while “Tally” plays out with some triumphant opening synths before Tyler admits, “I lost my rank and title / I turned my back on it / Sold it all at a discount / I wanted to progress things / I wanted my soul set free / Lost it all at a discount.” It’s a nice reminder of trying to put our best foot forward, even when the world around us is crumbling. The album closer of “Intentions” is a bit of an odd choice, as it barely limps to the finish line, as Tyler Joseph leaves us with the lasting thought of, “Intentions lack memory / Intentions will set you free.”

I was admittedly a bit conflicted in the rating/score for Breach as it features some outstanding moments, yet plods along to the finish line a bit on the back half. The songs, in general, are very strong and outweigh some of the dud moments that don’t overly distract from the overall beauty and power of the material that comes through the speakers here. Breach ends up being my favorite creative output from Twenty One Pilots since Blurryface, and is filled with so many unique and creative moments to make you want to revisit this world the band have created quite often.

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