Tag: tyler joseph

A Late Night Talk

Hola everyone.

Right now, it’s a few minutes after 9 p.m here in Brighton. The sky has long darkened and slowly but surely you can feel the city calm down. I’ve always loved these times. I’ve always been a creature of the night. And I’ve always been a big fan of late night chats. The talks when people suddenly start discussing their own fate, their personality, their deepest desires and strongest fears. Something about the night makes the truth, the sincereness come out and I’ve always loved that and been fascinated by it. And now that I’ve been thinking about what to write as today’s post, I thought such a late night talk would be the perfect fit. So, get into something comfy, grab a tea and let’s get chatting.

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You know, since the beginning of 2019 – which we’re still in, actually, right? – I’ve been thinking about the last year, probably as many other people too. Maybe even yourself. For me, 2018 was truly the craziest year of my entire life so far. Without any doubt. I finished my first bachelor’s degree. Started my own music column for the magazine I’m writing for. Worked at a damn huge festival for the very first time (hopefully not the last). Visited Sziget again, thank god. Worked at the biggest music promotion company in my country. Saw Ed twice (can never be enough, though). Saw my love Marty again. Strolled through the streets of Budapest with my mum. Finally saw the one and only Justin Timberlake live (was well over due, trust me). Moved to Brighton to study music journalism at the legendary BIMM (probably the craziest part). Did my very first interview with a musician, that I’m a huge fan of (this right here is the big contestant for the first spot on the list of craziness, next to the move). Had the very same interview published in The Sun (say whatever you want about the paper, it’s a damn huge deal). Read a ton of books and listened to so much more music. Laughed more. Loved more. Lived more. And so much more that I can’t seem to remember now.

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And seeing it now, black on white, makes it even more crazy. If anyone would have told me I’d be where I am right now, I would have laughed in their face. But now I’m really here. And now it’s already 2019 and I have no idea what’s going to happen. I can just hope for the best and that my plans will become reality. Maybe, at this time in a year, I’ll be in London, together with Leni. Stuffed into a small but cozy apartment in the middle of the city we’ve always dreamed about and now call our home. It won’t always be the easiest, but we’ll always make it work, I’m sure of that.

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I’ve always been someone who gives everything for her dreams. Who fights for them with all her might. I wouldn’t be where I am if I wasn’t that person. And I’m very proud of that. And it’s not just about big dreams. Even the smallest one is important. Just recently I finally edited all the videos I had saved together into a little potpourri of different moments of my life and added one of Tom’s songs to it. Just put a black and white filter over it and there you have your super emotional video. One that I’ve been wanting to make for ages and finally did. And I’m so happy and proud because of it. Or, another example, since 2015 it has always been my big wish to see Marty every year. And since then I’ve been able to stick to it, every single year. Not just because I wanted it that much, but because I also fought for it. The same with seeing Ed live or getting my mum to visit Sziget again, for the whole week this time (yes, seven full on festival days, I can already start mentally preparing myself for the recovery). And I know, I’m literally just talking about music related things right now, but that stuff basically rules my life, so.  Or even if it’s just finishing a book and being proud of it. It’s about the small dreams, the small goals and the small fights. Because we can only grow from small ones.

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But finally, what I wanna say – no matter how you’re feeling right now, it will get better, trust me. And if you have a dream, go and fight for it. No matter how small or big it is, crazy or normal it might sound. If it means something to you, it deserves to become reality. Please let nobody tell you any different.

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And if you need an immediate portion of happiness to feel better, here you go. I’ve been listening to and looking at this little adorable bean while writing this post and my heart is nearly bursting, so I’m pretty sure you could call Tyler a literal happy pill. Such a cutie, I don’t know how Jenna is able to handle him (good for her though, he’s a true gem).

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And yeah, I think that’s it for this late night’s talk. I hope I could inspire you a bit with my babbling about music and dreams and I dearly hope that you enjoyed this post. And I also hope that the little bean named Tyler could put a smile on your face. As always, please don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts and comments down below. Start your own late night chat, go on. And besides that, I hope you’re all doing good and wish you a lovely week. And, of course, thanks for reading. x

This is Trench

Hola everyone.

Looks like we’ve come to another Friday, huh? How has your week been? I hope it’s been great. I’m honestly really looking forward to the weekend. And believe it or not, but while I’m writing this, I’m actually sat outside, at the beach. The weather has been close to perfect the past days and it kind of feels like the summer is having a little comeback here in Brighton. And oh yes, I’m more than loving this.

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But besides the weekend, there’s something special that I’m even more looking forward to. The music lovers among you, who’ve read the title of this post, will probably already know what I’m about to talk to you guys about. Yes, I have the absolute honor of discussing the hot and new album Trench by the one and only Twenty One Pilots. God, I can’t even begin to tell you how long I’ve been waiting to finally say this. Long. But as the clock struck 12 tonight, the world was blessed with this new album. And I’m not just saying this because I’m a huge fan of Tyler and Josh and their amazing music. No. I’m saying this because those 14 songs on that album are freaking masterpieces. The whole album is a masterpiece. Welcome to Trench.

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So, let’s start right at the beginning. Trench is the fifth album by Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun, better known as the band Twenty One Pilots. To be honest, when I heard that they were finally releasing a new album, after their one year long hiatus, I went nuts. You know, TOP aren’t just a band. They are special. Like really special. I’m just gonna go and say that I do know and listen to a lot of bands from different genres. But TOP are on another level, their music isn’t like anything I’ve ever heard before. A statement that became even truer when I heard their very first single Jumpsuit, then Nico and the Niners, Levitate and My Blood. And even more when I got to understand the meaning behind all of these songs. If you want to check out my review of them, where I explain the whole story of Dema and Clancy and what’s it all got to do with a jumpsuit, please click here.

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Personally, after listening to those four songs and now the album, I’d say that we’ve all just got to witness TOP moving on to another level and another era. Not just because of the story, but also from the musical point of view. Because on the one hand, Trench gives us the typical sound of TOP that we all love so much, but on the other hand it’s a complete change and surprise. It’s still schizophrenia pop – yep, that’s their own genre, created just for them – but also very different. It’s a total rollercoaster, from start to finish. Genres change within the songs and between them. The rhythms seem very soulful, sometimes even moving towards RnB. There are breathtaking rap parts, followed by tear-jerking violin lines and lyrics that tell you nothing but the truth if you just listen to them closely. That’s what I’ve always loved about TOP and Tyler’s writing – he doesn’t hide anything, he just doesn’t make it too obvious.

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But what exactly is Trench? Well, that’s a question that’s not easy to answer – like with most things when it comes to TOP and their music. After researching for hours and hours and listening to and reading the lyrics, I’d say that Trench is far more than just a story about an imaginary city called Dema and a trapped guy called Clancy. At the end, the album is about Tyler and Tyler only. About his ongoing fight with depression and anxiety (Morph), about suicidal thoughts (Chlorine, Cut My Lip), about the death of his grandfather (Legend), his love for his wife Jenna (Smithereens), his struggles as an artist and writer (Pet Cheetah) and about his relationship with the clique, their fanbase (The Hype, Leave the City). Once you look over those mostly cryptic lyrics and acknowledge the deeper meaning of them all, this album becomes a really personal one. This is also why while listening to it for the very first time, I didn’t know what to do with myself as soon as it ended. I had so many different emotions trapped inside me. I felt happy and sad, broken and mended, conflicted and ecstatic. And there were still tears glistening in my eyes, both happy and sad ones. And even after all these hours that have passed since, I still can’t fully get my head around it. It’s just too much. But in the best way ever.

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Looking at the songs themselves, I kind of feel it’s really hard to split them from another. They just fit so perfectly and carry the story of the album like a red thread, that it becomes especially impossible to chose a few favorites. I can just tell you which songs had the biggest impact on me during the very first listen: Jumpsuit, My Blood, Neon Gravestones, Bandito, Legend and Leave The City. Some of these got me because of the lyrics, some due to the huge surprise of musical changes. But all of them are amazing. As are the rest, of course.

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I would actually love to discuss every single song with you guys, especially as I literally googled and kind of analyzed every single one, but that would turn this post into a never ending one. Due to this, I’d just like to stick to most of the songs that I stated above and kind of go through all of their meanings.

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Jumpsuit

I’ll never forget the very first time I listened to this and watched the video for it. It blew me away. As some of you may know and also as I’ve mentioned right at the beginning of this post, I’ve already analyzed this one, so please click here to find out more about the mind-blowing story behind this song and its followers.

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Neon Gravestones

This is the one song that actually struck me because of how true and direct the lyrics are. The song starts off with a calm piano rhythm and then goes into the more upbeat drums by Josh, followed by an amazing rap by Tyler about suicide and how society nowadays glorifies those who end their lives. He especially addresses artists who end up being never forgotten because they ended their lives at the peak of their career. They are the ones who have their names in neon lights, which then become neon gravestones, once they die. Tyler then continues talking about his own death (“I could go out with a bang”), and that he doesn’t want us to remember him because of his death, but because of his life. The song then both peaks and ends with a powerful, rhythmic rap about how we should rather glorify life and celebrate those who spent their time living it, for example grandparents (this part especially gets a far greater meaning once you get to Legend and find out what’s it about).

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Bandito

Do you know this feeling when you listen to a song and you never want it to stop? Ever? Because that’s what happened to me while listening to this. Bandito starts off with a distant beat that kind of resembles the noise of a heart rate monitor. Later on, during the chorus, the rhythm moves up a bit while still retaining the slowness of the beginning. And then Sahlo Folina comes. Those are the two words that act as a guide that moves you towards the second, more upbeat half of the song. What makes this song stand out for me are those exact parts when Tyler creates his own choir by singing Sahlo Folina over and over again, while the drums in the background become faster and faster and draw you into them. I couldn’t help myself but feel my heart beat faster with every second that went by. But what’s the meaning of the song? Honestly, yes, the lyrics are indeed as cryptic as you would think, but as always the clique is better than the whole FBI team out there. From what I could find the song actually is about Tyler and Josh and their lives between the Blurryface era and the Trench era. But even more so, the song is about Tyler being trapped in Dema and creating Trench to feel some sort of control. It’s about his creative life, which also connects to the translation of Sahlo Folina that I found on Reddit:

“In Bandito the line “Sahlo Folina” appears several times. I’ve seen several people think this is something backwards, but it actually has its own meaning. “Sahlo” means to enable in Somali. Folina is a name and according to a name website I found, it means this: “Your name of Folina has made you happiest when you are expressing in some creative, artistic way, and not conforming to strict routine”. So “Sahlo Folina” means to enable expressive creations. This makes a lot of sense considering the next verse is all about his ability to create the world of Trench.“

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Legend

Don’t be surprised, but this is actually the only song on the album besides Smithereens that really has a happy sound to it. It has got it all – a light beat, a dreamy ukulele in the background and Tyler’s raw voice. Naturally, you would expect to be happy while listening to this, right? But nope. Because once you listen to the lyrics, you can say straight up bye to your makeup (if it’s still intact), because here they come, the tears. For me, this song is the saddest one. I mean, most of them have a deep, sad meaning to them, but Legend literally crushed my heart. Because this one is about Tyler’s grandfather and his death. We get to hear the story of how he got Alzheimer and how Tyler couldn’t really cope with it. And how he got to hear the beginning of the song, but not the end, because it took too long. And how his niece will never get to meet him. While listening to the song, I kind of felt like I was a part of Tyler’s life. And honestly, I just wanted to give him a hug.

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Leave The City

This is the last song of the album and for me, also the perfect finale. And while listening to it, you can actually feel Tyler and Josh thinking the same. The song isn’t the last song just because. It has to be there. Not just because it’s a musical masterpiece, with extremely soft vocals and a slow beat that wraps itself around you like a blanket. It’s there because of its meaning. The city, Dema, isn’t just a city, but represents Tyler’s anxieties and depression. As we know from songs like Jumpsuit and Nico and the Niners, Clancy aka Tyler is fighting to break out of the city, he wants to leave it. And this is the point this song describes. Tyler is finally coming to terms with his mental health problems and knows that he will be strong enough to overcome them at some part of his life, but for now, he wants to focus on staying alive. It is once again an ode to the fans, the faces facing him, as he stays in this safe space that is Trench, together with them, and although he’s far from home he’s not alone. This thought is underlined at the very end of the song, which finishes with the lyrics “they know what I mean” (they = the clique) and also the same chord as the one in Truce. Overall, it feels like one of the most dedicated and emotional songs of the album, that resonates with you long after it’s over.

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For me, those very meanings turn Trench into such a special album. When I heard that TOP were making a new album, I knew we would get something new, but I for sure wasn’t expecting this. And I can’t even begin to tell you how proud I am of these two guys. It isn’t just the breathtakingly amazing production (well done Tyler and Paul Meany) or the astonishing lyrics, it’s the overall package. In the words of my mum, this album doesn’t just feel like an album, it feels like a book, like a story. And yes, it is a story. It’s the story of Tyler and Josh and the clique altogether. Ultimately, Trench isn’t a city or a place, it’s us. We are Trench. We are Twenty One Pilots.

So guys, there you go. I know this has ended in being quite a lengthy post, but honestly, I could’ve said so much more. I just really wanted to share it all with you guys, even more because this band and the album mean quite a lot to me. And I really, really hope that you enjoy this album too and of course this post. I will leave the spotify link down below, so you can have a listen for yourself. As always, please don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts down below, please do tell me what you think about it. And until then I wish you all an amazing weekend and hope you’re all doing alright. And, of course, thanks for reading. x

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Meet Clancy

Hola everyone.

I hope you’re all having a fabulous day. And I hope that this post will make it even better, because guys, you’ve got a storm coming, oh wow. To be honest, I actually had something different planned for today. I wanted to tell you all about my week at Nova Rock, the festival I worked at, but that plan changed pretty quickly, as something even better happened. Guys, guess who’s back again after a hiatus of one year…

The one and only TWENTY ØNE PILØTS.

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I seriously cannot believe it guys. This is like the biggest thing ever. And the funny part is, when I watched the video for their new song “Jumpsuit” for the very first time and heard Tyler’s voice and then saw him, I legitimately teared up a bit, because I suddenly noticed how much I had really missed them during their hiatus.

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Maybe some of you have already noticed that my two boys are back, maybe some of you even followed the cryptic signs they sent out during the past days and also during the past months. I can just tell you, the songs don’t just sound more than amazing, no, they have such a deep meaning and complex story hiding in them, I actually had to read like so many websites and postings to fully understand what they are all about. And as I was so happy to finally get some good information, I thought I’d just do the same and present those two fantastic songs to you guys. Please enjoy.

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Jumpsuit

As already mentioned, this song probably works as their new single – which I’m just guessing, as it’s the song that actually got paired with a video. First of all, I have to say that this song pretty much blew my mind. I mean, it’s like such a new and different sound for the boys, but I love it so much. It seems like a new milestone for them and I couldn’t be any more proud.

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So, the song starts up in what I would call the musical corner that’s full of guitars and dark, dark beats. In short, it sounds like a super rad rock song. And then it suddenly slows down and Tyler’s angelic voice starts up and shines a light on that cool and dark corner and everything mends into one amazing musical piece. The song then continues riding those dark and rocky and slow and melodic waves until Tyler, the small bean, finally gets to show us what he’s got and pretty much scream-sings the last few lyrical parts of the song. I have to say, I’m usually not a fan of the screamo genre, but in this case it just fits. I mean, c’mon, it’s Twenty One Pilots, of course there have to be one or two screams. Also, at about minute 1:55, there’s like this super cool beat part, so please listen to the song with your headphones, you just need to experience that, seriously.

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But oh ho, that’s not everything this song has to offer, because like I said, both songs have such a complex story behind then, which shows even more when you watch the video. So, here’s what Jumpsuit is about in short:

With their last album Tyler and Joseph created the character named Blurryface, that, according to Ty, represents all the bad feelings and worries and insecurities someone has inside them, or which he has inside himself, to be exact. It represents the dark side, basically. And as we’ve just reached a new era, Tyler and Joseph went on to create a new character called Clancy, who lives or actually is kept in a city called Dema (= Tower of Silence). This city, which is surrounded by walls to trap the residents, is ruled by the nine Bishops. Clancy, who initially stands for this new, much lighter version of Tyler, tries to escape Dema. In the video he can be seen in a deserted land, walking around with a pretty uncertain look. Then a man in a red hood on a white horse starts going after him until Clancy/Tyler let’s him reach him. The man then places his hands on Clancy’s/Tyler’s neck and leaves black marks on it, which then start to fill up all his neck as he starts following the man who’s slowly riding away again, like in a trance. So, this means that the hooded guy actually is Blurryface, who captures Clancy/Tyler until suddenly people can be seen above, at the top of the surrounding cliffs, who then start throwing yellow flower petals over Clancy/Tyler and Blurryface. This initially helps him get away from Blurry, until he is sadly caught again at the end.

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What’s important here is the colour yellow, something that runs like a continues yellow (ha ha) thread through the new concept of the band. And it’s so relevant, because the colour actually can’t be seen by the Bishops or Blurryface. So like it’s mentioned in the lyrics, the jumpsuit with the yellow tape on it and then the yellow petals cover Clancy/Tyler. So the people on the cliffs are the rebels who try to help the people that are kept in Dema and controlled by the Bishops and Blurryface. Also, just to mention, Josh and Tyler’s wife Jenna are actually two of them, which is so damn exciting. And last but not least, the video for “Jumpsuit” starts off right where the video for “Heavydirtysoul” ended and therefore marks the end of the Blurryface era and the beginning of the Trench era (that’s the title of their new, upcoming album, but I’ll get to that).

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Nico and The Niners

This is the second released song by TOP and frankly, it sounds so different, you wouldn’t even think it was by the same band if it wasn’t for Tyler’s voice. But honestly, that’s the aspect I love the most about them – they never stick to a certain genre and they’re not afraid to try something new. As for this song, I’d say it’s much more pop-ish and actually features a phenomenal rap at the end. It’s so much fun to listen to and it’s so damn hard to decide which one is better. Something I’m not going to do, because it’s literally impossible.

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When it comes to the meaning of the song, I would say that this one is about Clancy trying to escape Dema. The lyrics feature aspects like the Bishops not being able to see yellow and the jumpsuit taking Clancy higher (I think because of the walls). Also, Nico and the Niners stand for the nine Bishops that control Dema, so Nico is actually the name of one of them.

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So, there you go guys, those are the two new songs by the one and only Twenty One Pilots. Honestly, I couldn’t be any happier right now, I’m so damn grateful to have my boys back. Oh and of course they wanted to come back with a bang, so they not only released two songs, but they also gave us the title for their new album, which is called Trench and will be out at the 5th of October. And if that wasn’t enough, they also released the tour dates for their upcoming Bandito tour and yes, I will be going to one of their shows, and yes, it probably will be London. And yes, I’m already more than hyped for the ticket sale that starts at the 17th. Pray that I get tickets, please. I need to see them. I mean, just listen to Jumpsuit and imagine experiencing that live. Holy moly.

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And yes, you’ve now made it to the end of this post. I really, really hope that you enjoyed reading it and that you enjoyed their new music even more. I’m so damn happy that I get to share their amazing art with you guys. As always, I wish you a fantastic weekend and please don’t hesitate to leave your comments down below. And, of course, thanks for reading. x