Blurryface by Twenty One Pilots

Twenty One Pilots are an indie pop/alternative rap duo from Columbus, Ohio. The group has gained mainstream attention due to rapper/lead singer Tyler Joseph's ability to intertwine his hip-hop verses with catchy indie-pop influenced choruses and hooks. 

However, especially in the case of their new album Blurryface, this combination does not work all that well. While Joseph and Dun are able to come together to create some great beats with their fast paced, danceable, groovy instrumentation, it's the lyricism and Joseph's inability to separate himself from any other generic hip-pop rapper that causes the group to lose their appeal. 

The 14 track LP opens with Heavydirtysoul, which features an awesome drum beat courtesy of drummer Josh Dun. However, the moment Joseph begins rapping over the track, I can't help but lose interest. With lyrics reminiscent of early 2000's nu-metal acts such as Linkin Park or Limp Bitzkit, it's hard to take the group seriously. 

As the album continues, again and again my biggest gripe is the lyricism, or more so the lack thereof from Joseph, who despite struggling with lyrics appears to a gifted musician as he contributes many different instruments to the recording. He even offers some solid pop hooks on multiple songs; but with lines like:

"Sometimes a certain smell will take me back to when I was young

How come I'm never able to identify where it's coming from? 

I'd make a candle out of it, if I ever found it 

Try to sell it, never sell out of it, I'd probably only sell one" 

I struggle to be totally immersed in the sound. 

Something that surprised me throughout the album was the constant "dissing" of radio acts in songs like Fairly Local and Tear In My Heart (which features the cringe worthy line "My taste in music is your face.") This is a shock considering that the first interaction I had with this album was hearing Tear In My Heart on XM station Hits 1. 

With that being said, if you can ignore the lack of in depth lyrics, and if you enjoy catchy pop driven choruses that take influence from a plethora of genres, you may find more enjoyment in this album than I did. Despite my disappointment, I'm interested to see the direction the duo takes in the future, as I could see them being a very good production team, or even a Gorillaz-esque group that collaborates with other artists of different genres to bring a more well-rounded sound together. 

Rating: C-

Favorite Tracks: Doubt, We Don't Believe What's On TV, 

Least Favorite Songs: Polarize, Heavydirtysoul, Stressed Out,