Background
An accompanying music video for "City Walls", directed by Jensen Noen, was released alongside its parent album. [9] It runs for nine minutes and fifty-five seconds, the longest music video in the duo's videography. [10] Before its release, frontman Tyler Joseph revealed that the video serves as the proper conclusion to the story surrounding the conceptual city of "Dema", a fictional location in the world of "Trench", and its two central characters, Clancy (portrayed by Joseph) and Torchbearer (portrayed by drummer Josh Dun). [11] With a stated production budget of US$ 1 million, "City Walls" is one of the most expensive music videos of all time, as well as the second most expensive music video of the 2020s. [12]
"Intentions", the closing track of Breach, is played during the end credits. It is a backmasked track of "Truce", the closing track of the duo's third studio album and major-label debut Vessel (2013). [8]
Synopsis
The video begins immediately after the events of "Paladin Strait" and "The Contract". Clancy resists Nico's powers and engages in battle against him, the leader of the nine Bishops that govern Dema, atop the central circular tower that rises above the cement city. The Torchbearer and a group of Banditos run up the stairs in an effort to assist Clancy. Throughout the battle, Clancy sees Nico in his previous memories throughout his journey each time he was beaten by Nico. [a] After he is fatally impaled by his sharpened antlers, the latter breaks them in half, shattering their connection between Clancy and Nico, which had allowed Clancy to wield Nico's powers. However, when the Torchbearer breaks into the room where Clancy and Nico have fought, Clancy uses his "final power of the seizing" [b] to merge his and Clancy's souls into one.
The Torchbearer watches as Clancy wears a Bishop hood and hands the rest of the squad the other robes. When he offers a hood to the Torchbearer, he silently declines and leaves the tower as his team and Clancy become the new Bishops of Dema. The remaining member of the Banditos asks the Torchbearer what to do next. After he packs his things into his bag, he responds saying that there is another Clancy somewhere, and they will always try again, before he and the Bandito member leave the city.
