Trench is a well rounded, adventurous record which develops the band’s sound into something that’s consistent, yet more mature.
The riff in the album opener “Jumpsuit” is a little heavier than we are used to. The distorted bass suits the tone of the song, which is solemn and spooky. The lyrics seem to be telling a story and this theme continues throughout the album. At the heart of these lyrics, however, is the same existential depression and anxiety which runs through all their records.
“Levitate” opens with emo rap and if you listen to the lyrics, you’ll likely find yourself neck deep in a Reddit feed after listening to the track. Again, it is an overriding theme of anxiety and insecurity which makes this song notably consistent with the band’s previous records.
“Morph” is a little quirkier, mixing heavy beats and emo rap with a melodic and lighthearted keyboard. “My Blood” on the other hand, is more serious and has generated a lot of fan theories. “When everyone you thought you knew / Deserts your fight, I’ll go with you. You’re facin’ down a dark hall / I’ll grab my light / And go with you.” Loaded with metaphors and dark imagery, the lyrics have the shape of a poem you might read in class, begging to be analyzed.
“Chlorine” is admirably complicated. Frontman Tyler Joseph wrote the song with Mutemath’s Paul Meany and it stands out from the rest of the album. Tyler uses the chemical as a metaphor for something that both heals and is poisonous. “Neon Gravestones” is also a standout track. It’s cooler and more collected than some of the other songs and is an intense examination of how the media glorify celebrities after they die.
The album closer “Leave The City” is tastefully sad and understated. There is a slow buildup and the song takes more of a typical form. Still, it’s one of the weaker tracks on the album, but it does show Twenty One Pilots’ ability to explore other styles.
Overall, Trench shows a real development of a band who might have once been described as music for pretentious teenagers. There’s real poetry to what they are creating and their simultaneous confidence and insecurity when exploring new styles is fundamental to their sound.
3.5/5
