A new Twenty One Pilots era has just been revealed, through the announcement of their sixth studio album ‘Scaled and Icy’. The album is due for release on May 21st, and has been teased with their freshly-released lead single ‘Shy Away‘.
This year, the duo has grown out their hair and moved on to the next phase of their career. Their previous releases have relied on the band’s lore, detailing the DEMA universe and various fan theories. Now, the band are back with their new soft pastel aesthetic. ‘Shy Away’ sets out the new perimeters of their latest aesthetic, defined by their fans as ‘DEMA propaganda. The track starts off with some old school synthesizers and Josh Dun’s drumming, with vocalist Tyler Joseph joining the mix with his crisp voice. The first chorus presents the message of the track, intending to be uplifting for fans. It projects a natural positivity, with the use of an energetic rhythm. In an interview with BBC, Tyler Joseph shared the story behind the intentions of the song and demonstrates his creative process to his brother Jay. The song was written as a tutorial of music production, to show Jay how to write and craft a song. Through this, Tyler is almost aggressive in lyrics, almost saying “Don’t you ever dare to stop what you are doing, don’t you ever shy away!”, emphasising his passion for creativity.
Maybe it’s just the warm welcomeness of spring and all of the pandemic restrictions slowly lifting, but the track sounds like a fresh start in so many ways. Twenty One Pilots seem to have jumped to a more mainstream sound, but the fans think that this is intentional. Has DEMA has brainwashed the band into making music that’s lighter and more widely appealing, while being controlled by a greater outside force? This theory makes sense when you watch the music video, as the duo appear to search around as though something else is there with them. It almost resembles the Stranger Things universe, in the sense of being haunted by something much bigger than yourself, with no idea how to control it.
The band has also announced an exclusive live stream experience on May 21st alongside the album’s release, teasing fans that it will be something that they have never done before.
