Twenty One Pilots’ ‘Clancy’: All 13 Songs Ranked (2024)

The final chapter in the group's 'Trench' saga dropped at midnight May 24.

Twenty One Pilots’ ‘Clancy’: All 13 Songs Ranked (1)

Twenty One Pilots don’t do anything small. The Columbus, Ohio duo of singer/guitarist Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun are fans of expansive world-building who’ve cooked up an alternate universe filled with evil empires, oppressed subjects and mysterious forces across a series of albums featuring more hidden clues than Taylor Swift’s Easter basket.

But, like all good things, every story has to come to an end eventually — and for 21P, the final chapter in their long-running Blurryface saga has arrived in the form of their seventh studio album, Clancy. The 13-track collection was originally timed to drop exactly nine years after the Blurryface album, which introduced fans to a title character that Joseph has said represents his (and our) insecurities and anxieties.

On the 2018 concept album follow-up, Trench, the duo introduced the character Clancy and additional elements of a shadowy alternate cement-walled world called Dema on the continent Trench, governed by a group of nine totalitarian bishops and their leader, Nico, who are trying to keep down a rebellion by the Banditos. The story continued on 2021’s Scaled and Icy, a more pop-leaning effort on which Nico was betrayed and narrator Clancy escaped to a an island where he was give the same powers as the Bishops.

Always happy to let their music do the talking, the duo have not spoken at length about the conclusion of the story told on Clancy. The album opens with the ominous first single, “Overcompensate,” a classic combo of Dun’s skittery, hard-hitting drums and Joseph’s signature mix of singing and rap-like cadence over lyrics that sprinkle in bits of the ongoing mythology.

As always, Joseph’s storytelling seamlessly intertwines personal struggles with big picture storytelling, from suffocating anxiety that feels life-threatening (“Next Semester,” “Backslide”), to the dread of insomnia (“Routines in the Night”) and the knot-in-stomach ache of a painfully shy person forced to keep brave-facing it in public appearances to keep the show going (“Lavish”).

The album bears the expected hallmarks of the pair’s by-now-familiar rock-meets-beats sound and vision, layered with some new wrinkles of frenetic, punky new wave (“Navigating”) and gentle 1970s AM radio balladry (“The Craving (Jenna’s Version)”).

Keep reading to see howBillboardranks the songs on 21P’s new LPClancy, from worst to best, below.

  • "Snap Back"

    Joseph has mastered the art of turning his anxiety into arena-worthy shout-along anthems, but this song’s draggy, laconic pacing and spare instrumentation don’t exactly match the striking refrain, “If I’m gonna snap necks, then I gotta snap back.” Unless, of course, that’s the point.

  • "Paladin Strait"

    This song is a tight encapsulation of the 21P oeuvre, opening with bird song, a gently strummed ukulele and Joseph crooning about tracing a route back to his beloved. As the beat picks up on this six-minute journey (which ends with more birds and a hidden uke-strummed coda seemingly wrapping up the Clancy saga), the lyrics come into focus as they reveal a tale deeper than a literal death-defying swim to safety and security.

  • "Backslide"

    21P excel at the slow-build song where Joseph languidly sings his way into higher register as his stress level rises, only to down-shift into a lament about the road not taken, or a wrong turn. In fact, one of the key lines of this mid-tempo track appears to be a mea culpa for the poppiest of songs from the band’s previous Scaled & Icy album, “Saturday,” with Joseph singing, “Kind of wishing that I never did ‘Saturday.'” The urgency of “Backslide” ramps up near the end, with the singer keening, “I should have loved you better/ Do you think now’s the time you should let go?” as the song dissolves into a jazzy keyboard squiggle.

  • "Routines in the Night"

    A dreamy, slow-rolling ballad about the terrors of the nighttime and things that go bump in your brain, “Routines” is another rap/sung anxiety monster that feels like the fitful moment before your eyelids finally droop, afraid of what the dark might bring. Over a metronomic beat and keyboard washes, Joseph perfectly encapsulates what it feels like to battle insomnia when he gently sings, “While all the worlds asleep, I walk around instead/ Through the memories, down the halls of my head.”

  • "Vignette"

    One of the more ambitious pieces on Clancy, “Vignette” opens with an orchestral flourish and floats in and out of a variety of moods — from the violin-spiked opening to a rappy opening verse, wistful pre-chorus and in-the-rafters falsetto refrain, where Joseph sings, “Clinging to promises, fighting off the vignette/ Tunnels cave, visions fade, swallowed by the vignette.” The whole thing tumbles to a close with 1970s-style burping keyboards and the repeated mantra, “No no, not me, it’s for a friend.”

  • "Lavish"

    Opening with carnival-like organs and a far-away sounding Joseph vocal, this reggae-tinged pop-rap tune has one of the more entrancing choruses on the album — for a song that, like some of the best 21P tracks, doesn’t settle on one genre for very long. After the sweetly crooned refrain, “Welcome to the new way of living/ It’s just the beginning of lavish from the floor to the ceiling,” the track hop-scotches through a pair of rappy verses with shades of Eminem flow, before downshifting back into a dreamy wind-out groove.

  • "Midwest Indigo"

    Joseph’s plucky bass line propels this speedy, somewhat predictable rocker, which feels like a throwback to the band’s earlier days with its pile-on mix of staccato drums, buried keyboard drones and bright piano. “Indigo” occasionally flares with the pyro-ready energy that fuels some of 21P’s most endearing live set pieces, as the lyrics probe time anxiety.

  • "At the Risk of Feeling Dumb"

    Nobody wants to be seen at their worst moment. Who can relate? While this fairly by-the-numbers 21P has a predictable mash-up of crisp Dun beats and a booming, guitar heavy swell for the chorus. The message about keeping your loved ones close when you need them (but more importantly, when they need you) is vital: “So please keep in mind/ Check on your friends/ Every once in a while/ Even if they say/ At the risk of feeling dumb, check in.”

  • "Oldies Station"

    As someone who has seen 21P at least a dozen times, listening to Clancy kept turning into a game of, “What will this look like live?” And “Oldies Station” feels like it will be the kind of track that the Skeleton Clique fan group will heartily embrace for its lyrics of demon-overcoming encouragement (“Make an oath and make mistakes/ Start a streak you’re bound to break”) and a “When the darkness rolls on you/ Push on through” refrain that will surely be shouted to the rafters.

  • "The Craving (Jenna's Version)"

    There comes a time in every 21P show (and album) where Dun takes a powder from bashing his kit to pieces to let Joseph strum his acoustic and get into into singer-songwriter mode. This beautifully spare campfire ballad (with whistling!) about fretting whether the love you give is equal to the love you get is a gem that you can already picture lighting up an arena with phone flashlights. And, check out the way Joseph’s voice breaks just perfectly near the end when he sings, “But I swear that I will give more than I take away.”

  • "Overcompensate"

    The album’s bull-rush first single initially bops along on Dun’s crisp drumming before down-shifting into a less hectic pace, as Joseph rhymes/toasts lines larded with Clancy mythology references to the “bend symbol,” the “prodigal son” and bowing “to the masses.” It’s of a piece with the kind of shout-along crowd-pleasers that inevitably become an integral part of the all-are-welcome, high-energy 21P live experience.

  • "Next Semester"

    A chaotic new wave sprint, “Next Semester” is full-tilt boogie 21P, with Dun playing triple-time beats over Joseph’s frenetic yowls about the terrors of anxiety (including the line “can you die of anxiousness?”). The frantically-beating-heart pace slows near the end as Joseph gently strums his acoustic, crooning, “It’s a taste test of what I hate less/ I don’t want to be here” on a track about contemplating suicide and feeling like you don’t belong, but also can’t find a way out.

  • "Navigating"

    Clancy highlight “Navigating” has elements of Berlin-esque new wave keyboard pop that practically screams for a video featuring a parade of parachute pants, guyliner and swoopy hair. (The band announced that they were pushing the album’s release date back by a week in order to finish making videos for every track, so there’s hope for a Flock of Seagulls-esque visual.) The second half of the song adds in a thrumming bass line that wouldn’t be out of place in a New Order B-side as Joseph stresses over losing his connection and feeling the finality of it all after his grandmother’s death.

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Twenty One Pilots’ ‘Clancy’: All 13 Songs Ranked (2024)

FAQs

What songs are 21 pilots known for? ›

Song TitleStreamsDaily
Guns for Hands184,838,04347,133
Goner166,860,04428,346
Cancer161,279,27229,292
Ode to Sleep160,202,27735,654
136 more rows

What is the most successful album of Twenty One Pilots? ›

The most popular album by ​twenty one pilots is Blurryface Live with a total of 13.4M page views.

What records has Twenty One Pilots broken? ›

Their label debut Vessel (2013) became the second album in history on which every track received at least a gold certification, making Twenty One Pilots the first and only band to see every song on two albums earn gold or platinum awards.

What is 21 pilots oldest song? ›

​twenty one pilots's first song “Trapdoor” released on December 29, 2009.

What is Twenty One Pilots' longest song? ›

Level of Concern” smashed the previous record holder, Pharrell Williams' 24-hour long “Happy” video, with a total run time of 4,264 hours, 10 mins and 25 seconds before coming to an end on Dec. 16 when drummer Josh Dun literally pulled the plug on the project.

What do 21 pilots fans call themselves? ›

The Skeleton Clique is the official name of the fanbase of Twenty One Pilots. The Clique officially started during Regional at Best, with the introduction of Tyler and Josh's signature skeleton hoodies.

Does Twenty One Pilots have a platinum album? ›

Twenty One Pilots previously made RIAA history in 2018 when their 5x Platinum 2015 full-length, BLURRYFACE, which features the Diamond certified smash hit “Stressed Out,” became the first album in the digital era with every song receiving a Gold, Platinum, or Multi-Platinum certification from the RIAA.

Is 21 the best album of all time? ›

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Adele's Grammy-winning 2011 release "21" was deemed by Billboard magazine the greatest album of all time based on chart position and the soundtrack of the 1965 Julie Andrews movie "The Sound of Music" came in second.

How many diamond songs does Twenty One Pilots have? ›

16. Twenty One Pilots. Twenty One Pilots received their first diamond award in 2021 for "Stressed Out." The following year, they received a second for "Heathens," the lead single from the soundtrack of the DC Comics film "Suicide Squad."

Are Twenty One Pilots still Christians? ›

Twenty One Pilots is Christian, although they don't consider themselves a “Christian band,” a distinction that appears as minute as it is effective in the field of public relations.

Why did 21 pilots lose popularity? ›

Twenty One Pilots' popularity declines due to fan-base erosion from perceived disengagement and a shift towards commercialism, alienating long-time supporters and diluting their authentic connection.

Which member of 21 pilots left? ›

The former members of twenty one pilots were Nick Thomas and Chris Salih, who were originally the members of the band along with Tyler. Both Thomas and Salih left to pursue other things in life, which is around the time that Josh came running along and joined up with Tyler to create what twenty one pilots is today.

What song made Twenty One Pilots famous? ›

A Columbus, Ohio, duo blurring the lines between hip-hop, electronic music and pop, Twenty One Pilots took the 2010s by storm with their top 10 hits "Stressed Out," "Ride" and "Heathens." They one of the only artists in history to have two simultaneous top 10 singles, and their 2015 album Blurryface remained in the ...

What does the 21 pilots logo mean? ›

The |-/ logo means something to Tyler and Josh, but only they know what it means. People have asked Tyler this question and I will quote him. “It means Twenty One Pilots, the logo does. Why it means Twenty One Pilots, is it really goes along with one of our songs called "Kitchen Sink...

What type of music does 21 pilots make? ›

Genre-blurring, hitmaking duo from Columbus, Ohio that combines elements of rock, hip-hop, punk, and reggae.

Are Twenty One Pilots Christians? ›

Twenty One Pilots is Christian, although they don't consider themselves a “Christian band,” a distinction that appears as minute as it is effective in the field of public relations.

What type of music is ride Twenty One Pilots? ›

"Ride" is an uptempo alternative rap song that lasts for a duration of three minutes and thirty-four seconds. The track combines elements of rock, hip hop, reggae, punk, electro and pop.

What does 21 mean in 21 pilots? ›

Joseph came up with the band's name while studying "All My Sons" by Arthur Miller; a play about a man who commits suicide after causing the death of twenty one pilots during World War II because he knowingly sent them faulty parts for the good of his business.

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