Wooo yeah week 90 yeahhh woooo
That's right folks, we're only 10 TOTWs away from week 100! Do I have anything planned? No. Will I plan something? Eh, we'll see. That's enough dawdling, though - this week's TOTW is [quite predictably if you know me at all] Breach, the brand-new album from Twenty One Pilots! This isn't the only time I've talked about top here on the blog: When their last album, Clancy, came out, I talked about it in TOTW#47, and I've been a big fan of their music for years. Suffice it to say, I was pretty excited for Breach, especially because this album marks the end of the absolutely insane story that the band has built up over the course of the last decade [that's a whoooole other story though].
Anyway - let's get into it! I wanna talk about every track on the album, including the bonus track on the Digital Remains edition, but quickly before that, I just wanna say - I really, really like that each song on the album has a different logo. I'm sure top aren't the only band to ever have done this, but I just think it's a really neat touch that gives all of the songs a lot more personality [not that they didn't have that already, of course]. Alright, now let's actually talk about the songs:
First up is City Walls - definitely one of the stand-out tracks on Breach! It's a really high-energy song which is not only good on its own but works perfectly in the context of the music video. I especially like when Tyler says 'breach' and then he breaches. On top of all that, the callbacks to Holding On To You and Heavydirtysoul are an awesome touch, especially with the latter closing the cycle in the story.
Next up is RAWFEAR, which is a pretty catchy song. I like it a lot, but it's probably not quite my favourite on the album, hence why I don't really have much to say about it. Just a solid song!
Then there's Drum Show, which was one of the two singles released before the album alongside its own music video, which is really solid. I absolutely love the bass throughout this song. And the drums, obviously. Super catchy, and the jocals in the middle really bring it all together - the transition from the calmer middle segment right into Tyler's screaming will always be super cool to listen to.
Garbage is next, and I really like this one! It's not particularly catchy, but the rhythm is really solid, as is the overall sound. Like RAWFEAR, it's just a pretty solid song, but one that I don't really have too much to say about.
Next up is The Contract, the other single released before the album, and a really good one at that - I absolutely love the overall sound! Whilst I'm not to keen on the heavily vocoded segments, they're definitely growing on me as I listen to the song more. I've honestly never really heard another song quite like this one, so I think that's really commendable. The pre-chorus and chorus are especially awesome, and when it's all put alongside the music video, I think it's one of my favourites on the album! Oh, and using the drums from Heavydirtysoul is super clever as usual. I've seen some videos which combine the two songs flawlessly and it sounds ridiculously cool.
Downstairs is next - admittedly, this one starts off a bit weird [cool! but weird], but once it finds its stride in the chorus it's a really powerful song. Great lyrics, too! I believe this song originated as a demo around a decade ago, and so it's definitely got some of the older top vibes which I really dig!
Up next is Robot Voices - I really love this one, and it might honestly be my favourite on the album. It's super lively with really nice lyrics. Apparently it was co-written with another band, Blanket Approval, who created the original version of it - I'll definitely be checking them out! I just adore the chorus [especially the guitar] and the little ''woo!'' that pops right before it.
Center Mass [I will begrudgingly spell it the American way] is next, and if Robot Voices isn't my favourite, this one definitely is. I'm a huge fan of the chorus - it's got super catchy lyrics; and sampling top community memes at the start of the song is just incredibly funny.
Cottonwood is our ninth track - I really like this song, but I think it's probably my least favourite on the album. At least, it's the one that I feel the urge to replay the least. Very nice sound nonetheless!
Up next is One Way, which I'm a big fan of on account of its lively feel! It's definitely not my favourite on the album, but the overall style of it is great and the transition into the next song is incredibly fun.
Speaking of that next song, it's Days Lie Dormant - this one is a close contender for favourite song, right behind Robot Voices and Center Mass. Another really upbeat song with a cool synth and some excellent vocals. I love the drums in the chorus especially! The piano break in the last third of the song also sounds great, and reminds me a bit of some songs from Vessel and Scaled and Icy [though I can't put my finger on which ones]. The start also sounds like it could be straight from an iDKHOW song, which is always a good thing!
Then we've got Tally: Initially, I didn't really like this one, but it's definitely grown on me a lot since my first listen! I like the synth and the drums a lot - apparently, this one was nearly not going to be put in the album, but Josh convinced Tyler to keep it. Definitely glad for Josh!
The final track on the main album is Intentions, which is just something else. This song is actually bananas. Not only does it hold up on its own as a really solid, emotional end to the album, but when you reverse it you get the instrumental Truce from Vessel. Which is. Crazy!! I was absolutely baffled when I heard the reversed version of this, especially considering how, like I said, the song actually sounds good on its own without knowing about the Truce connection. Tyler is absolutely a genius for this, it is insane. Love this song so much.
Then, finally, as a bonus track on Breach: Digital Remains, we have Drag Path - it's a shame that it's not on streaming services because it is a really excellent song. I definitely prefer it as an end to the album in comparison to Intentions [not that that song isn't a brilliant end as is]. Super emotional instrumental and lyrics - I'd say the most powerful on the album - and a perfect way to truly wrap up the Dema storyline.
So, yeah, that's Breach! All in all, I really like it [if you couldn't tell]. I don't think it's quite as good as their last two albums - Clancy and Scaled and Icy are seriously some of my favourite albums ever - but it's still an excellent collection of songs, and one that I'd even say is better than Blurryface or Trench [PLEASE DO NOT KILL ME FOR THIS]. It's a shame that the band isn't coming back to my area on the Breach tour - I managed to catch them during the Clancy one and it was probably the best show I've ever been to. Anyway, yeah, would definitely recommend checking Breach out, especially if you haven't listened to any Twenty One Pilots stuff since Blurryface or Trench - they've definitely grown a hell of a lot since that era, and I really don't think enough people realise how much their style has changed since they were on the top of the charts for songs like Stressed Out. Oh, and all the lore stuff is super interesting to check out if you're not already familiar! This playlistshould have pretty much everything you need to get into it!
With all that said though, thanks heaps for reading! I'm aware that this blog post is definitely a bit of a long one in comparison to others, but it was a lot of fun to write, so I'll definitely try and keep up this level of quality in the future. Once again, thanks for reading, and I hope to catch you next week for another TOTW!
Extra Info:
Official Website l Spotify
