Twenty One Pilots, Next Semester | Song Review 🎵

Grammy-winning duo Twenty One Pilots continue to usher in the Clancy era with a bang with their energetic second single, “Next Semester.”

“Stand up straight now / Can’t break down / Graduate now / I don’t wanna be here, I don’t wanna be here.” Grammy-winning, alternative band Twenty One Pilots return in 2024 with Clancy, concluding a narrative spanning multiple albums. Following an epic first single (“Overcompensate”),  Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun unveil the fantastic second single, “Next Semester”. “Next Semester” runs nearly four minutes in duration – plenty of song and ample goodness to take in. Joseph wrote and produced this energetic gem.

From the beginning of “Next Semester”, Twenty One Pilots rock hard. I love the prominence of the bass at the onset.  The groove is driving, thanks to the pummeling drums of Dun, and distorted guitars which give off punk vibes. The riffs are #GIVING! Even with a dirtier sound palette, Joseph continues to sound youthful – boyish.  Even so, he shows some grit and assertiveness, particularly in the centerpiece, the chorus:

“I remember

I remember certain things

What I was wearing

The yellow dashes in the street

I prayed those lights would take me home

Then I heard, ‘Hey, kid, get out of the road!’”

Beyond the chorus, there is a refrain, which appears following the second chorus, including the key lyrics, “Can’t change what you’ve done / Start fresh next semester.”  Interestingly, the final minute of “Next Semester” brings things down, embracing balladry accompanied by rhythmic guitar and keyboard textures. During the outro, Joseph embraces his tender side (“It’s a taste test / Of what I hate less / I don’t wanna be here / Start fresh with a new year”). Furthermore, the background vocals are gorgeous.  All told, “Next Semester” marks another worthwhile song from Twenty One Pilots.

Twenty One Pilots // Clancy // Fueled by Ramen LLC // 5.17.24 

 [📷: Brent Faulkner/The Musical Hype; Fueled by Ramen LLC; Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Królestwo Nauki, OpenClipart-Vectors, Pete Linforth, Tumisu from Pixabay]