Twenty One Pilots, Scaled and Icy | Album Review 💿

Twenty One Pilots deliver another enjoyable, if slightly different project with their sixth studio album, Scaled and Icy. 

The wait is over! 🏆  Grammy-winning alternative duo 🎙  Twenty One Pilots return with their sixth studio album, 💿  Scaled and Icy.  In advance of the LP, their first in about two-and-a-half years (💿  Trench, 2018), 🎙  Tyler Joseph and 🎙  Josh Dun first unveiled two promo singles: 🎵 “Shy Away” and 🎵  “Choker”. Beyond those two advance gems, Scaled and Icy has no shortage of intriguing moments.  In some respects it’s a different sounding album than the duo’s past work, but there’s still plenty to heart ultimately.

“Good Day” 

“My sunshine / Is a buzz and a light, I’ll be singing out / I know it’s hard to believe me, it’s a good day.” Despite the fact that opener ✅  🎵  “Good Day” is in a bright, major key, and Tyler Joseph asserts “it’s a good day,” listening and reading the lyrics, the goodness is questionable.  “Lost my job, my wife and child / Homie just sued me,” he sings on the second verse, yet ultimately, he seems to take all his losses in stride and remain positive.  A surprising start to Scaled and Icy, “Good Day” is intriguing, nonetheless.  Sunny sounding vocals and production certainly make you feel, well, happy.

Advance single ✅  🎵  “Choker” checks off the usual boxes for Twenty One Pilots. The record is incredibly groovy from the onset, establishing a clear rhythmic identity. There’s solid, well-rounded production including keys and colorful synths. Add to those checked boxes solid vocals from Joseph who remains true to self.   He never under- nor over- sings – always a win.  He always manages to infuse personality into his performances, which also, in this case, means serving up some of his spoken word/quasi-rapped moments.  Beyond the production and performance, kudos should also be given to the 🎼  ✍  songwriting.  What is Joseph imparting narratively and thematically in “Choker” – “choking” in particular situations and life in generally.  Eventually, he progresses to a more positive place and moves beyond the choking, asserting, “You get taller, bolder, stronger, and the rearview only blinds you.” So true!

“Shy Away” 

Twenty one pilots keep things short and sweet on ✅  🎵  “Shy Away”. As always, the production is quite intriguing – sleek and well rounded.  Given its rhythmic sound and quick pace, there’s definitely no way to “Shy Away” from this record.  Joseph exudes ample personality as he performs.  As always, the theme and lyrics truly go a long way in making this a successful record. Here, Tyler encourages ditching the shyness and being unafraid to reach for dreams and ambition – shedding modesty and reaching for the stars.

“Don’t you shy away (Ah-ah-ah)
Manifest a ceiling
When you shy away (Ah-ah-ah)
Searchin’ for that feelin’
Just like an ‘I love you’ (Ooh, ooh)
That isn’t words (Ooh, ooh)
Like a song he wrote, that’s never heard (Ah-ah-ah)
Don’t you ...” 

Once more, the duo have truly tickled our fancy on “Shy Away.” Great vocals by Tyler, great production, and thoughtful, positive songwriting make this a winner.  From there, the boys move to 🎵  “The Outside”, another record where the groove is totally inescapable, and again, the production stands out with its funky cues.  Perhaps the most notably moment lyrically is the bridge.  Here, Joseph delivers some unique lyrics that references both prehistoric times (“I am a Megalodon, ocean’s feelin’ like a pond”) and Transformers (“I am Megatron, cogs I’m steppin’ on”).  It’s bizarre, mind you, but definitely ear catching – you won’t forget it! I guess Joseph is indeed, “vibing,” as he asserts.

“Saturday”

If it weren’t clear that Scaled and Icy is much more pop-oriented than previous albums, 🎵  “Saturday” confirms this.  This is a record that screams 🎙  Maroon 5 given its fine line between pop, blue-eyed soul, and R&B.  The chorus is utterly infectious – there’s no way you’re getting that ‘bad boy’ outcha head! Besides the chorus, the pre-chorus is pretty catchy in its own right, setting up the centerpiece of the record.  ✅  🎵  Never Take It” maintains the slickness of Scaled and Icy and adds a bit more rock vibes.  I love the assertiveness of Joseph here, particularly on – you guessed it – the chorus.  “They’re trying hard to weaponize,” he sings, continuing, “You and I, we’ll never take it.” What won’t we take? Well, the polarizing nature of the media, particularly in 2020 – a polarizing, turbulent year in its own right.  Worth noting, Joseph is apolitical here, simply pointing out what many can agree to be a respectable point/opinion.

“Get out of our way, we’re moving sideways / Welcome to Mulberry Street, yeah.” Though “Never Take It” is hard to follow-up, particularly given its thoughtful message, 🎵  “Mulberry Street” does a nice job of winning you over with its – wait for it – groove.  Yes, like a broken record, the instrumental is hella appealing, specifically the keyboards.  Once more, we get another memorable chorus.  Eliminating predictability is a more left-field bridge (compared to the rest of the song) and, instrumentally, some sweet horn touches.  In some ways, 🎵  “Formidable” seems to nod to folk-pop and vintage pop (🎙  The Beach Boys or 🎙  The Beatles), yet still has that Twenty one pilots touch.  Rhythmic and warm sounding, the music perfectly complements Joseph’s ode to a formidable person in his life.  Who is formidable, exactly? The lyrics actually don’t make it clear, but you could easily speculate.

“Bounce Man”

🎵  “Bounce Man” is an interesting song. It’s quite novel – maybe a bit corny – yet also delivers another inescapable chorus. If you keep up with the conceptual side of the collective, there’s likely a bigger picture idea.  If you don’t, well, you might appreciate this song for what it is but get less out of it ultimately.  Even if “Bounce Man” falls a wee bit flat, penultimate gem ✅  🎵  “No Chances” is sure to win you over the first time you hear it: “We come for you, no chances.” Everything is on-point here: a menacing, minor-key backdrop, pitch-shifted vocals, and rapping/singing by Tyler.  This is that alternative pop that has crossover potential with its hip-hop cues.  Hopefully, the duo takes the hint and release it as a single.

Twenty One Pilots conclude Scaled and Icy with 🎵 “Redecorate.” Yes, of course redecorating is referenced from a material perspective (“Something told him he should look around and tidy up / He collected many things but never quite enough”), but that’s only one part of the story.  As to be expected with a Tyler Joseph penned track, there’s a deeper meaning, often encompassing matters of the mind.  That’s the case on “Redecorate,” which follows the story of three people who are experiencing various emotions and feel they have unfinished business prior to death.  This is definitely a fitting closer.

Final Thoughts 💭 

Once again, Twenty One Pilots deliver a totally worthwhile album.  Scaled and Icy is easy on the ears, running 11 tracks and just 38 minutes long.  I don’t believe Joseph and Dun do anything revolutionary or game changing here, but they give us a project that’s interesting more often than it’s not. Some critics may question the pop-oriented nature of this particular album but from my perspective, it works okay.  Scaled and Icy by no means eclipses 💿  Blurryface or Trench, but it’s another respectable addition to the Twenty One Pilots discography.    

✅  Gems 💎 : “Good Day,” “Choker,” “Shy Away,” “Never Take It” & “No Chances” 

🎙  Twenty One Pilots • 💿  Scaled and Icy • 🏷  Fueled by Ramen • 🗓  5.21.21

[📷 : Fueled by Ramen]