Scaled and Icy | ||||
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Released | May 21, 2021 | |||
Recorded | July 2020–April 2021 | |||
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Length | 37:42 | |||
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Twenty One Pilots chronology | ||||
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Singles from Scaled and Icy | ||||
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Scaled and Icy is the sixth studio album by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots, [1] released on May 21, 2021, through Fueled by Ramen and Elektra. [2] [3] Its title is a play on "scaled back and isolated", a phrase frontman Tyler Joseph associated with music produced during the COVID-19 pandemic, though the phrase is also an anagram of "Clancy is dead", a reference to the protagonist of the duo's fifth studio album, Trench (2018). The album received generally positive reviews from critics.
On March 4, 2019, five months after the release of their fifth studio album Trench (2018), the band confirmed that they were working on their next studio album. [4] About the possible theme, frontman Joseph said, "There's a character that hasn't been talked about on any record yet that plays a huge role in the narrative that obviously will need to be talked about and it's probably where we're going next". [5] On April 9, 2020, the duo released the song "Level of Concern", which marked the first musical output by the duo since the release of Trench. The song encourages the listener to keep hope during hard times, specifically alluding to the COVID-19 pandemic. [6] In a May 2020 interview with Zane Lowe, Joseph expressed uncertainty as to whether their next album would continue Trench's narrative or would be an "in-between record", explaining: "It's kind of hard for me to tap into the story of Trench and what we've been building on up until that point without being out there, without touring, without having those live shows, without interacting with our fans." [7]
Scaled and Icy was written and largely produced by Joseph in his home studio over a year-long period during the COVID-19 pandemic, while drummer Josh Dun engineered the drum tracks remotely. [8] [2] The band had initially planned on embarking on a "victory lap" tour of arenas and festivals to draw the album cycle for Trench to a close, but the pandemic had instead left them with more free time than they were accustomed to. Joseph recalled being faced with two potential directions for the album when its writing process began in 2020, either to "lean into what [he] felt like everyone was feeling, this ominous world is ending feel", or to "kind of escape from that feeling", eventually choosing the latter approach. [9] Dun had revealed in November 2020 that they were still working "remotely" on the album, with both members being in different locations during the time. He describes the recording process, "we both have our own studios, which is really nice, so he comes up with a lot of stuff at his studio, sends it over to me, and then I come up with some stuff here at my studio and then send it back". [10]
Scaled and Icy is the first Twenty One Pilots album to involve Joseph's youngest brother, Jay, who provided backing vocals alongside five of his close friends on "Never Take It", "Bounce Man" and "No Chances". [11]
The album's title is a play on "scaled back and isolated", a phrase frontman Tyler Joseph associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the music produced at the time. [12] [13] On an interview with Sirius XM, he stated that he wanted to "lean into being aware that things are scaled back and that we're isolated". [14] Despite that, Joseph's goal was to create an album that contrasts this very idea and that conveys the opposite of it. The album title is also an anagram of "Clancy is dead", a reference to the protagonist of their previous album, Trench; [15] the band has however neither described this as coincidental nor declined to comment on this subject. [16] [9] The title's initials appear on the cover art for their 2020 single "Christmas Saves the Year", on which the sentence "SAI is propaganda" is written in purple on one of the wrapped gifts. [17]
"It really is the power of creativity, the power of imagination and, ultimately, the power of music. And that's something that I'm experimenting with on this record."
–Tyler Joseph, discussing Trash the dragon on BBC Radio 1 [18]
The cover artwork for Scaled and Icy was designed by Brandon Rike, who also designed the cover art for Trench and Blurryface (2015). It features a scaled, teal dragon breathing yellow fire over a pink background, as well as a psi symbol in the top right corner. [19] [20] [18] The dragon is named Trash, and represents "inspiration, fear, and magic"; Joseph explained that he wanted to "tie the songs to something as powerful as that". [21] [20] The creature was originally drawn by British illustrator Walter Crane in a children's book from the 1860s (the artwork is in the public domain, allowing the band to use it in the album cover). [19] Its usage was also inspired by a small dragon figurine Joseph keeps in his home studio, with Joseph revealing to BBC Radio 1 that it represented an idea that if he were to focus on a single detail of a small room, "then that detail can then come to life". [18]
Scaled and Icy has been described as, "at first listen, the most upbeat and optimistic the band have sounded since they first emerged in 2009", which Joseph explained is a reaction against the "strange and bleak conditions" caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the album was recorded. [22] Critics specifically noted its departure from the darker approach of Trench and Blurryface and a return to the "playful alt-pop sound" of Vessel (2013), [23] [24] [25] [26] with Joseph stating that the record is a "bit of a reaction to Trench". [22] The album has also been described as alternative rock, [27] pop, [28] rock, [29] rap [29] and synth-pop, [30] with elements of electro. [31]
Although a departure from the conceptual narrative found on Trench, the band largely continues to examine serious themes on Scaled and Icy despite its upbeat sound. [32] [26] Joseph explained that the contrast was deliberate, stating that "as you dive into lyrics, a lot of times it's asking some pretty heavy questions and addressing some pretty heavy things". [17] Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic described the album as "a snapshot of the emotional highs and lows of quarantine life", [32] while Augusta Battoclette of Alternative Press noted the themes of "anxiety, doubt and the need to keep your loved ones close". [26]
On June 16, 2021, Twenty One Pilots announced the Takeover Tour, consisting of 35 shows in which they would spend one week in each city to perform at small clubs as well as large venues. The tour began on September 21, 2021, in Denver, Colorado, and concluded on June 25, 2022, in London. [33]
On November 18, 2021, the band announced a second tour of North America in support of the album called the Icy Tour, which began on August 18, 2022 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and concluded on September 24 in Seattle, Washington. [34] It consisted of 22 shows.
The duo began teasing the era in January 2021 by updating their social media headers with an orange-tinged photo of the duo in an empty venue, the band's Trench era logo placed between them. [35] The following month, Joseph posted a selfie to his Instagram story featuring a blue psi symbol over his right eye. [36] On April 2, 2021, a progress bar appeared on dmaorg.info—a website the band uses to share background stories and lore—which appeared to be deleting files. When the progress bar timed out three days later, three posters appeared on the page announcing a new album titled Scaled and Icy and a "Livestream Experience" scheduled for May 21, 2021. [37] [38] The lead single "Shy Away" premiered on BBC Radio 1 on April 7, with a music video being released shortly after alongside an official album announcement on the band's social media. [39] [38] A second single, "Choker", premiered on the band's livestream pre-access website, with fans participating in a release event. The music video and single were premiered on April 30, 2021, at 12:00am ET. [40] The third single from the album, "Saturday", was released on May 18, 2021, [41] with a music video for the song released on July 8, 2021. [42] "The Outside" was released as the fourth and final single on November 24, 2021, [43] followed by a music video on March 18, 2022. [44]
The duo was initially reluctant to do a livestream concert, arguing that "you can't recreate a live experience on a stream". However, they changed their minds as they resolved to "create something that's never been done before", and promised in an interview with NME that "it's not going to be stale by song two, like every other livestream concert." [22] Their manager, Chris Woltman, stressed that it would be different from their past live shows, describing it as "a convergence of live theater mixed with a livestream moment and a Twenty One Pilots show". [45] Work on the event began in July 2020, and required 150 production and support staff, 12 cameras, almost 30,000 square feet of on-set floor space, over 130 rehearsal hours, and 13 days for its set-up, rehearsal and the show itself, according to the band's management team. [46] The show took place at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio, and its synopsis is very close-knit with the storyline from Trench, featuring numerous Easter eggs concerning the band's lore. [47] [48] The livestream's webpage received 3.6 million sessions from April 7, which included 3.48 million hours of watch time from 202 international territories on a million unique devices, 56% of them from outside the United States. [46] The event garnered praise from various publications, including NME, who awarded it five stars, with Ali Shutler calling it "one of the most forward-thinking shows that've been attempted in over a year" which "sees them push the limit on just what a livestream can be". [22] Gil Kaufman of Billboard described it as "eye-popping" and a "Las Vegas-worthy spectacle". [47]
On April 8, 2022, the duo announced a limited theatrical release of the livestream concert, which was set for May 19, 2022. According to The Numbers, it earned approximately $1,560,000 worldwide, and garnered a 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. [49] [50]
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 6.0/10 [51] |
Metacritic | 70/100 [52] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Arts Desk | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Clash | 7/10 [31] |
Evening Standard | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Financial Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Gigwise | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Kerrang! | 3/5 [24] |
The Line of Best Fit | 7/10 [28] |
NME | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Scaled and Icy received generally positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 70, based on 9 critical reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [52]
Ali Shutler of NME praised the album as "an expectation-crushing statement of ambition", noting its more optimistic and upbeat tone compared to the band's earlier work while still remaining "very much in the Twenty One Pilots universe". [55] The Guardian 's Rachel Aroesti also noted the "move away from this anxious melancholy"; she claimed that while fans would "view this shift as hard-won hopefulness", listeners unfamiliar with the band would find the album "pleasingly buoyant, if conspicuously USP-less". [29] Jake Richardson of Kerrang! considered that although "there are times on Scaled And Icy where things just feel a little safe", it "is a good record which balances out the occasional underwhelming moment with flashes of brilliance that could only come from its creators". [24]
Steven Loftin of The Line of Best Fit commended the album's fun sound and the progression it represented for the band, concluding that "while it's not a home run, as a society it's a time for exploration and change, and the duo have pasted the pastel colours on heavy ready for when the sunshine decides to grace us with its presence". [28] Writing for Stereogum , Chris DeVille opined that the album "maintains the knack for poppy off-kilter rock music that made the band stars in the first place" aside from "a few clunkers", and considered that it represented an evolution towards a more grown-up sound and image. [56] Clash 's meanwhile asserted that "most – though not all of these tracks having you reaching for the replay button", and added that "memorable is definitely the word to describe the album". [31] However, Mason Meyers of Gigwise called the album "an unfocused, often forgettable, attempt to appeal to the masses with cutesy pop tunes". [54]
Several reviews criticized the loose relationship between the album's content and the surrounding concept. [57] [54] Ludovic Hunter-Tilney was critical of the record's "contradictory tones" in his assessment for the Financial Times , arguing that "tracks are caught between servicing the concept and existing in their own right", and concluded that "the result suggests indecision, not an enigmatic layer of mystery". [25] David Smyth of the Evening Standard also highlighted the contrast between the "bright and poppy" sound of the album and its conceptual promotion, asking: "Is it worth sticking around to hunt for secret messages though? Not really." [23] Conversely, AllMusic's Neil Z. Yeung wrote that "whether or not they decide to revive their ongoing album mythology, Scaled and Icy will remain a quick dose of TOP perfection, a lean catalog gem that is bright, effervescent, and immensely addictive." [32]
The album won Top Rock Album at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards, beating out OK Orchestra by AJR, Music of the Spheres by Coldplay, Mercury – Act 1 by Imagine Dragons, and Sob Rock by John Mayer. [58]
All tracks are written by Tyler Joseph. All tracks are produced by Joseph, except where noted.
No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Good Day" | 3:24 | |
2. | "Choker" | 3:43 | |
3. | "Shy Away" | 2:55 | |
4. | "The Outside" | 3:36 | |
5. | "Saturday" |
| 2:52 |
6. | "Never Take It" | 3:32 | |
7. | "Mulberry Street" |
| 3:44 |
8. | "Formidable" | 2:56 | |
9. | "Bounce Man" | 3:05 | |
10. | "No Chances" | 3:46 | |
11. | "Redecorate" |
| 4:05 |
Total length: | 37:42 |
No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
12. | "Choker / Stressed Out / Migraine / Morph / Holding On to You" (Livestream version) |
| 9:40 |
13. | "Mulberry Street" (Livestream version) |
| 4:21 |
14. | "Lane Boy / Redecorate / Chlorine" (Livestream version) | Ricky Reed | 6:02 |
15. | "Shy Away" (Livestream version) | 2:56 | |
16. | "The Outside" (Livestream version) | 4:56 | |
17. | "Heathens / Trees" (Livestream version) |
| 4:19 |
18. | "Jumpsuit / Heavydirtysoul" (Livestream version) | 4:08 | |
19. | "Saturday / Level of Concern / Ride / Car Radio" (Livestream version) |
| 12:50 |
20. | "Never Take It" (Livestream version) | 3:38 | |
21. | "Level of Concern" |
| 3:40 |
Total length: | 94:00 |
Notes
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [11]
Twenty One Pilots
Additional musicians
Technical
Design
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [95] | Gold | 20,000‡ |
Canada (Music Canada) [96] | Gold | 40,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [97] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [98] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Paul Meany is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music director and record producer. He is best known for co-producing and collaborating with much of Twenty One Pilots' recent work. He has also done production for Pierce the Veil and Yungblud. Outside of production, he is most notable for being the lead singer and keyboardist for the alternative rock project Mutemath, of which he is the sole member since 2017.
Twenty One Pilots are an American musical duo from Columbus, Ohio. Initially a band, the group was formed in 2009 by lead vocalist Tyler Joseph along with Nick Thomas and Chris Salih, who both left in 2011. Since their departure, the line-up has consisted of Joseph and drummer Josh Dun. The duo is best known for their singles "Stressed Out", "Ride", and "Heathens", which achieved commercial success between 2015 and 2016. The duo received a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards for "Stressed Out".
Vessel is the third studio album by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots, which was released on January 8, 2013. It is the band's first album released via Fueled by Ramen, and is their major-label debut album. Vessel debuted at number 58 on the Billboard 200 chart, but reached number 21 in 2016. As of July 2019, the album has sold over two million equivalent album units in the U.S. All of its tracks have been certified at least Gold by the RIAA, which made Twenty One Pilots the first group or artist to achieve this feat with two separate albums. The album received positive reviews from critics.
Joshua William Dun is an American musician. He is best known as the drummer of the musical duo Twenty One Pilots, alongside Tyler Joseph, but he has collaborated with other artists as well. His band has been nominated for six Grammy Awards, of which he has won one.
Tyler Robert Joseph is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is best known as the frontman for the musical duo Twenty One Pilots, alongside bandmate Josh Dun. Across his career he has recorded eight albums: one solo, and seven with Twenty One Pilots. He has been nominated for six Grammy Awards as a member of the duo, of which he has won one.
American musical duo Twenty One Pilots have released seven studio albums, five live albums, one compilation album, 10 extended plays, 29 singles and 50 music videos. The band was formed in 2009 and currently consists of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun. After two self-released albums, Twenty One Pilots in 2009 and Regional at Best in 2011, they were signed by Fueled by Ramen in 2012, which released their following studio albums, as well as Blurryface Live, a three-LP, tri-gatefold picture disc vinyl, Scaled and Icy and MTV Unplugged.
"Stressed Out" is a song written and recorded by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots. Produced by Mike Elizondo and recorded at studios in Los Angeles and London, it was released as a promotional single from their fourth studio album, Blurryface (2015), on April 28, 2015, through Fueled by Ramen. The song later impacted US contemporary hit radio as the album's fourth official single on November 10. Elizondo initially took issue with the nature of the song's lyrical content, but relaxed after lead vocalist and songwriter Tyler Joseph explained the larger album concept.
"Jumpsuit" is a song written and recorded by the American musical duo Twenty One Pilots. It was released on July 11, 2018, as the first of the lead singles from their fifth studio album Trench (2018), alongside "Nico and the Niners". The track was nominated for Best Rock Song at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. Peaking at number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100, it is their fifth-highest charting song, behind "Stressed Out", "Heathens", "Ride", and "Level of Concern".
Trench is the fifth studio album by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots, released on October 5, 2018, through Fueled by Ramen. It was the band's first studio album in three years, after the breakthrough success of their fourth studio album, Blurryface (2015). Recorded in secret during a year-long public silence, it is a concept album which explores mental health, suicide, and doubt, themes prominently featured in the band's previous works, framed in the metaphorical city of Dema and the surrounding continent known as "Trench". The album was also the first release of the newly-revived Elektra Music Group.
"Chlorine" is a song by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots. It was released through Fueled by Ramen on January 22, 2019 as the fifth single from their fifth studio album, Trench (2018). The track was written and produced by lead singer Tyler Joseph and Paul Meany of rock band Mutemath. It is a trip hop, rap rock and electropop song which discusses "how creativity can cleanse dark impulses but cause its own pain".
"Neon Gravestones" is a song by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots. It is the seventh track from their fifth studio album, Trench (2018). Tyler Joseph, the frontman of the band, wrote the song and produced it with Paul Meany. It is a hip hop piano ballad which confronts the glorification of suicide by media.
"The Hype" is a song written and recorded by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots from their fifth studio album Trench (2018). The song was released as the sixth and final single from Trench on July 16, 2019, by Fueled by Ramen and Elektra Music Group. The track was written by lead singer Tyler Joseph, with production being handled by himself and Paul Meany. The song's lyrics discuss perseverance and loyalty. "The Hype" reached a peak of number 3 on the US Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart.
"Level of Concern" is a song written and recorded by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots. It was released as a standalone single on April 9, 2020, through Fueled by Ramen, and was later included on the livestream version of Scaled and Icy (2021).
"Morph" is a song written and recorded by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots from their fifth studio album, Trench (2018). It was released as a promotional single the same day as the album's release. The song was written by vocalist Tyler Joseph in a studio in his basement. It was produced by Joseph, with co-production from Paul Meany of Mutemath, and recorded at United Recording Studios in Hollywood, California. Even though the song is one of the less conceptual of their concept album, it still reveals more about the surroundings of a world named "Trench" and a dystopian city called "Dema". A key discovery comes in "Morph" with the identity of Nicolas Bourbaki, the titular character of the song "Nico and the Niners" and one of the main antagonists in the story.
"Shy Away" is a song written and recorded by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots. It was released through Fueled by Ramen on April 7, 2021, as the lead single of their sixth studio album, Scaled and Icy (2021). A music video was released alongside the single, directed by Miles Cable and AJ Favicchio.
"Choker" is a song written and recorded by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots. It was released through Fueled by Ramen on April 30, 2021, as the second single from their sixth studio album, Scaled and Icy (2021). A music video accompanied the single's release.
"The Outside" is a song written and recorded by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots. It was released through Fueled by Ramen on May 21, 2021, as the fourth single from their sixth studio album, Scaled and Icy (2021). The song was written and produced by the duo's frontman, Tyler Joseph. A music video for the song was released on March 18, 2022.
"Saturday" is a song recorded by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots, released on May 18, 2021, through Fueled by Ramen, as the third single from their sixth studio album, Scaled and Icy (2021). It was written and produced by the duo's frontman, Tyler Joseph, with Greg Kurstin and Paul Meany credited as co-producers. A music video for the song was released on July 8, 2021.
"Overcompensate" is a song by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots, released on February 29, 2024, through Fueled by Ramen as the lead single of their seventh studio album Clancy. It was written and produced by frontman Tyler Joseph alongside Paul Meany. The song peaked at number 64 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 34 in the UK, making it their third-highest charting song there, behind "Heathens" and "Stressed Out".
Clancy is the seventh studio album by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots, released on May 24, 2024, through Fueled by Ramen and Elektra Records. Titled after the protagonist introduced in their fifth studio album, Trench (2018), the visual album is stated to be the final installment of the band's nearly decade-long conceptual series.