twenty one pilots
Ready for Takeoff
In 2015, Josh Dun and Tyler Joseph’s blockbuster Blurryface hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200, Top Rock and Alternative Albums charts. Three years later -- after a quiet first half of 2018 on social media -- the duo tweeted in August that it was “ready to stop babying this little guy and let him go.” That little guy is Trench, the album out Oct. 5.
Early Win
Blurryface ruled on alt-rock radio, and Trench lead single “Jumpsuit” topped the Alternative Songs chart within two weeks of release. “It has already gotten to the place of their previous hits for us,” says Mason Brazelle, program director at WWCD, the alt station in the pair’s hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
Destination Unknown
The first four Trench tracks, from hard rocker “Jumpsuit” to reggae-tinged “Nico and the Niners,” point to a sonically diverse album. “One of the coolest things about Josh and Tyler is their ability to tackle any genre without flinching,” says Andrew Donoho, who directed the “Jumpsuit” video. “I can’t say much [more] without Tyler burning my house down, but there are many surprises to come.”
This article originally appeared in the Sept. 15 issue of Billboard.