Twenty One Pilots (album)

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Twenty One Pilots
Twenty One Pilots album cover.png
Studio album by
ReleasedDecember 29, 2009
Recorded2008–2009
Studio Tyler Joseph's home studio, Columbus, Ohio
Genre
Length62:08
Label Self-released
Twenty One Pilots chronology
Twenty One Pilots
(2009)
Regional at Best
(2011)

Twenty One Pilots [lower-alpha 1] is the debut studio album by American band Twenty One Pilots, released independently on December 29, 2009. It is the band's only album to feature founding members Nick Thomas and Chris Salih, who both departed the group in 2011. [3]

Contents

Background and production

Tyler Joseph met Chris Salih at a party during his time at Ohio State University, who offered to play music with Joseph. They formed the band with Salih playing drums. Later, Nick Thomas was invited by Joseph to join the band as a bassist. In 2009, the group moved into a house of their own and started working on their first album. Joseph was primarily in charge of the songwriting with input provided by other band members. The album was recorded in the basement studio. Due to the low budget for making the album, instead of recording real instrumentals, most of the drum beats were programmed with computer software. [4] [5]

The album cover art was designed by John Rettstatt, a friend of Joseph. [6]

Release and promotion

The album was released in December 2009. After the release, the band began touring Ohio. Their initial marketing was grassroots; Joseph's mother would stand outside of Ohio State University, giving away tickets to their shows. [7] During this time, the band participated in various "Battle of the Band" contests at The Alrosa Villa and The Basement, important Columbus music venues. [8] [9]

Commercial performance

The album debuted on the US Billboard 200 in January 2016, [10] months after the band's 2015 album Blurryface was released, peaking at No. 139 on the chart in January 2017. [11] According to Billboard's data in July 2016, the album had sold 115,000 copies. [12]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Sputnikmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [14]

Despite ranking as the lowest of the band's albums in a list for Kerrang! , Emily Carter considered that "the quality of the songwriting here is already superb", praising Joseph's lyrics, and concluded that "these aren't chart-topping bangers, sure, but the impact of these songs cannot be understated". [15] Maria Sherman of Fuse praised Joseph's "speak-singing" and the "beautiful piano arrangements" on the album, though criticized his enunciation while rapping. [16] Alternative Press described "Addict with a Pen" as "slow, spare, and nakedly honest" and "the best representation of what initially drew fans to the band". [17]

Track listing

Twenty One Pilots track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Implicit Demand for Proof"4:52
2."Fall Away"3:02
3."The Pantaloon"3:34
4."Addict with a Pen"4:47
5."Friend, Please"4:13
6."March to the Sea"5:32
7."Johnny Boy"4:39
8."Oh, Ms. Believer"3:37
9."Air Catcher"4:13
10."Trapdoor"4:37
11."A Car, a Torch, a Death"4:34
12."Taxi Cab"4:46
13."Before You Start Your Day"3:53
14."Isle of Flightless Birds"5:46
Total length:62:08

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for Twenty One Pilots
Chart (2016-2017)Peak
position
US Billboard 200 [21] 139

Notes

  1. Stylized twenty | one | pilots [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twenty One Pilots</span> American musical duo

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".

<i>Vessel</i> (Twenty One Pilots album) 2013 studio album by Twenty One Pilots

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Dun</span> American musician

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyler Joseph</span> American musician and record producer

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twenty One Pilots discography</span>

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.

<i>Blurryface</i> 2015 studio album by Twenty One Pilots

Blurryface is the fourth studio album by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots. It was released on May 17, 2015, through Fueled by Ramen. Lyrically, the album incorporates themes of mental health, doubt, and religion. It contains the hit singles "Stressed Out" and "Ride", both of which reached the top-five on the US Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairly Local</span> Twenty One Pilots song

"Fairly Local" is a song written and recorded by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots. It was released as the lead single from their fourth studio album Blurryface (2015) on March 17, 2015, with its music video having been released the previous day. The song was their first to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 84, and has since been certified platinum in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tear in My Heart</span> Twenty One Pilots song

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stressed Out</span> 2015 single by Twenty One Pilots

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lane Boy</span> Twenty One Pilots song

"Lane Boy" is a song written and recorded by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots, for their fourth studio album, Blurryface. "Lane Boy" was released on YouTube worldwide on May 4, 2015, being released as a single on Google Play Store on the same day. The music video was released on July 20, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ride (Twenty One Pilots song)</span> 2016 single by Twenty One Pilots

"Ride" is a song written and recorded by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots, from their fourth studio album, Blurryface. "Ride" was originally released as a promotional single on YouTube on May 11, 2015. The music video for the song was released on YouTube the following day. It was serviced to US contemporary hit radio on April 16, 2016, as the album's fifth official single. The song peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heavydirtysoul</span> Twenty One Pilots song

"Heavydirtysoul" is a song by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots from their fourth studio album Blurryface (2015). It was written by vocalist Tyler Joseph, who derived some of its lyrics from a poem called "Street Poetry" which he had written and published three years earlier. The track was produced by American record producer Ricky Reed and recorded at Serenity West Recording in Hollywood, California. As the opening track of Blurryface, "Heavydirtysoul" acts as the album's introduction, both musically and thematically. The song contains a self-referential statement where Joseph touches on the concept by candidly addressing its music with self-aware lyrics that give away his insecurities.

<i>Trench</i> (album) 2018 studio album by Twenty One Pilots

Trench is the fifth studio album by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots, released on October 5, 2018, through Fueled by Ramen and Elektra Records. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hype (Twenty One Pilots song)</span> Twenty One Pilots song

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Level of Concern</span> Twenty One Pilots song

"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).

"The Judge" is a song by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots. It was released on their fourth studio album Blurryface in May 2015. It was written by Tyler Joseph and produced by Mike Crossey.

<i>Scaled and Icy</i> 2021 studio album by Twenty One Pilots

Scaled and Icy is the sixth studio album by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots, released on May 21, 2021, through Fueled by Ramen and Elektra. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saturday (Twenty One Pilots song)</span> Twenty One Pilots song

"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.

<i>Regional at Best</i> 2011 studio album by Twenty One Pilots

Regional at Best is the second studio album by the American band Twenty One Pilots, and its first as the core duo of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun. Self-released on July 8, 2011, it was the band's final independent record before being signed to Fueled by Ramen in 2012, and has since been removed from circulation.

References

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  11. Cabison, Rosalie (January 2, 2013). "Billboard 200™". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
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  13. Twenty One Pilots - Twenty One Pilots | Album | AllMusic , retrieved May 24, 2024
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