Twenty One Pilots – Overcompensate
After nearly a decade and three studio albums, Twenty One Pilots brings the Blurryface saga to an end. The upcoming final album, Clancy, will drop on May 17 (nine years to the day after the release of Blurryface). Their first single, ‘Overcompensate,’ is out now on pretty much every streaming platform anywhere.
‘Overcompensate’ opens with distorted spoken lines in German, French, and Spanish that lead to a dance beat under the phrase “Welcome back to Trench” – the fictional content on which the saga plays out. After more singing that remains in the background, the tempo suddenly makes a jagged shift into the hip-hop beat that drives the rest of the track for Tyler Joseph to rap over. Both settings owe more to techno than anything else, and the single’s most compelling moment is that sudden tempo shift that harkens back (however softly) to the whimsical and arguably more inventive material that began the saga. Sudden tempo and genre shifts were par for the course back then.
Nevertheless, several Diamond and Platinum certifications testify that the duo made up of Joseph and Josh Dun has created a groundbreaking narrative. Concept albums are nothing new. But to tell an allegorical fantasy epic across four albums while achieving record-breaking commercial success does set a new benchmark.
The expectation among fans for the saga’s conclusion is probably greater than any single can meet. ‘Overcompensate’ isn’t in danger of living up to its title, but as a clarion call that begins the album (and a commercial bonanza of no less than 11 versions available for preorder), the single is admirable.
For more from Twenty One Pilots, check out their official website, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Spotify.
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