Clancy (album)

Clancy is the upcoming seventh studio album by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots, scheduled to be released on May 24, 2024, through Fueled by Ramen. Titled after the protagonist introduced in their fifth studio album, Trench (2018), the visual album will serve as the final chapter in the band's nearly decade-long concept series.

Like previous works in the series, Clancy is framed in the metaphorical world of "Trench" and the dystopian city of "Dema". It will tell the story of the titular character's plans to return to Trench after he escaped from Dema and was granted a "miraculous power" in the band's sixth album, Scaled and Icy (2021). Produced by frontman Tyler Joseph and frequent collaborator Paul Meany, Clancy was announced on February 29, 2024, following weeks of speculation. Three singles preceded the album's release: "Overcompensate", which was released hours after the album announcement, "Next Semester", which was released on March 27, and "Backslide", which was released on April 25.

Background

In February 2021, while promoting Twenty One Pilots's sixth studio album Scaled and Icy (2021), lead singer Tyler Joseph revealed that the album's closing track "Redecorate" acts as "an intentional hint at what he wants to try to do next", contrasting the song's more ominous tone with the "brand new, sparkling, happy, colorful" sound of its parent album. In a September 2022 interview, Joseph confirmed that the band's next album would conclude the storyline of the character Clancy and the fictional city of Dema that were introduced in their fifth album Trench (2018). Paul Meany, who was a producer on Trench and Scaled and Icy, disclosed on Instagram in August 2023 that he was with the band in Ohio while working on their next project.

On February 15, 2024, the cover art of Scaled and Icy as well as Vessel (2013), Blurryface (2015) and Trench were updated to be partially concealed with red tape on streaming platforms. Shortly after, people began to post on their social media that they had received mail from the band containing cryptic letters. Around the same time, billboards and posters in numerous countries began displaying a new band logo.

On February 22, 2024, the band released a narrated video on their social media platforms. In the video, the narrator, who reveals himself to be Clancy, summarizes the story of the previous three albums and his multiple attempts to escape from Dema; he ends the video by stating that he would be "returning to Trench". Clancy was officially announced on February 29, 2024, with its release initially set for May 17. Its lead single, "Overcompensate", was released on the same day. The second single of the album, "Next Semester", was released on March 27. The third single, "Backslide", was released on April 25.

On March 18, Joseph announced that each song on the album would have an accompanying music video, with all set to be released alongside the album; its release was subsequently delayed by a week due to the production timeframe required to complete the videos. Despite this, the band announced listening parties that would take place in selected stores through various countries, between May 18 and May 23, a day before the album is released.

On May 9, the band debuted a stripped-back version of the song "The Craving (Jenna's Version)" live during their small-scale performance at the Electric Ballroom in London.

Tour

A concert tour in support of the album, the Clancy World Tour, was announced alongside the release of "Next Semester". The tour is set to consist of over 70 shows spanning four continents, beginning at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on August 15, 2024, and concluding at The O2 Arena in London on May 14, 2025. Five small-scale concerts collectively titled "An Evening with Twenty One Pilots" will be held prior to the tour, with the first taking place at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City on May 2, 2024, the second at the Metropol in Berlin on May 7, the third at the Electric Ballroom in London on May 9, and the fourth at the Lunario del Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City on May 14.

Track listing

Sample credits

• "Overcompensate" contains an interpolation of "Bandito", written by Joseph and Meany and performed by Twenty One Pilots.

Notes

See also

• List of concept albums

References