Why Twenty-Øne Pilots May Be the Best Music Artist

2 days ago
12 min read

This article will mention suicide and mental health disorders.

This is the first of a three-part series. Part Two, Welcome to the Clique, will release this Wednesday. Part Three, The Story in the Songs, will release this Friday.

It must've been four years ago that my dad said, "Hey kids, listen to this song." He turned on Car Radio by Twenty-Øne Pilots. It fascinated him because of the meaning of the song: we're all battling fear, and we need to try to think. My little siblings latched onto it because of the beat (which is amazing, if I do say so myself) and played it until we were all tired of it (which has since worn off). I shared some of each sentiment. Later, my dad told me, "You should listen to some more of their songs. You'd probably like them."

I try to be careful about what I let into my ears, so I was hesitant at first. But I have a vivid memory of sitting on my driveway while my family did yardwork, trying to finish the math homework that was due that night. I wasn't focused at all, though, and instead of trying to focus on Algebra, I turned on the top few Twenty-Øne Pilots songs. I looked through all the lyrics before I listened to each song; I was scared that they might just be another rock band who had a few masterpieces and a bunch of trashy music about women and drugs. But the songs I listened to all seemed good. I recognized a few of them: Stressed Out, Ride, maybe even Chlorine. But it seemed like I was missing something. They sang names I didn't recognize and words I didn't know. Probably pop culture stuff - I wouldn't have known either way. So I liked a few songs and moved on.

A few weeks later, I was at a youth event with a friend of mine, Hannah. I didn't know her too well at the time, but we would come to be close over the next years. We were making small-talk through a mutual friend of ours, and ended up on the topic of music. Maybe a well-known Twenty-Øne Pilots song played, or maybe I mentioned knowing a few of their songs. But Hannah was well-versed in Twenty-Øne Pilots, knee-deep in the lore and wholeheartedly devoted. Over the next several weeks, she asked me questions I didn't know existed: Did I know the lore? Had I seen the music videos? How did I like self-titled? Did I think they were still Christian? How did I like their unreleased albums? I had no idea what she was saying. Lore? Music videos? Self-titled? How was I supposed to find unreleased albums older than I was?

Our friendship grew around the newfound common interest, and soon enough, I was as deep in the lore as she was. In 2023, I took my best friend to a concert and successfully got her immersed in the music as well. Her reaction as I pointed out concert-goers dressed as Clancy, Torchbearer, and Nico was exactly what I thought it would be: "There's a story in the music?! Why didn't you tell me this before?!" I knew she would react that way. After all, she's a writer, and writers can't resist well-written stories.

Over the past few weeks, I've had several people say something along the lines of "I want to start listening to Twenty-Øne Pilots, but I don't know where to start." As the nerd I am, I respond with paragraphs of song recommendations and instructions for getting into the lore. But I can never say everything I want to, so I thought, why shouldn't I write a blog post on it? So I did, and soon enough, one blog post became a three-part series.

So, without further ado: why Twenty-Øne Pilots may be the best music artist on the planet (and further, why they are so perfect for writers).

Why Twenty-Øne Pilots is Just Good for Anyone

1) They're Completely Clean

I have been a hardcore Twenty-Øne Pilots fan for over three years and never once found a problem with their lyrics. There is one quasi-exception to this, which is found at 3:04 in Ode to Sleep (a song high on my list of favorites). The word they use, while too taboo in today's world for me to repeat here, is found in the Bible. Say what you will. Personally, I prefer to replace the lyric with another word so I can sing it in clean conscience, but it isn't the worst of the worst. I listen to the song anyway.

Ode to Sleep is the only song with any questionable words in it. Twenty-Øne Pilots songs never have any bad lyrics or words, and in general, they just don't swear. In an interview, Tyler Joseph (the songwriter and vocalist) described swearing as "something you use when you've run out of ways to describe how you feel... a last resort." In the same interview, he said, "When you're creating something like a song where the whole point of you writing that song is to explore new ways of explaining or talking about something you feel, the idea of using a swear word or a curse word or whatever you would call it feels like a cop-out. It feels like not taking advantage of exploring a better way of describing how you feel." (0:52-1:42)

Even outside of swearing, there is nothing in Twenty-Øne Pilots songs that would make them bad artists. Not once is there a derogatory or offensive reference to women. There are two lines that could be taken as talking about drugs ("medicate in the afternoon," Saturday, 0:27 and "take a hit, join the club," The Outside, 0:49), but the songs were written as propaganda as part of the lore, so the lines aren't meant to be taken seriously. One other line, found in Center Mass, is also presumably about drugs, but it isn't promotional: "Try it once, he was show on the bus (right this way) - Chain's off my huff, anxious enough as it is..." (Center Mass, 1:25). Over six albums and almost eight hours of music, I can only identify three songs that have potentially questionable lyrics in them.

Disclaimer: I'll go into this more later, but they do have songs with lyrics related to suicide and mental health issues. I won't label those songs "bad music" because these are real problems that we really need to be fighting with the truth of Christ, which the music helps me to do. However, if they will disturb you, here is your warning.

2) There's Something in Every Genre

I think a lot of people hear about Twenty-Øne Pilots and think rap or hip-hop. On the contrary, however, the Twenty-Øne Pilots fandom is notorious for not being able to identify their genre. They do a little of almost everything (except country), so no matter what your music taste is, they've got some music for you. In my experience (especially with writers), people are captivated by a few songs and gradually get obsessed. This doesn't happen with everyone, of course, but I've seen it a lot. Here are some of my thoughts if you're looking for a few songs to get into based on genre or the mood you're in:

Pop
1. Good Day
2. Never Take It
3. Mulberry Street
4. Formidable
5. Bounce Man
6. We Don't Believe What's on TV
7. Not Today
8. Level of Concern
9. Robot Voices
Rock/Rap
1. Ode to Sleep
2. Car Radio
3. Guns for Hands
4. Heavydirtysoul
5. Message Man
6. Jumpsuit
7. Levitate
8. Pet Cheetah
9. No Chances
Love Songs
1. Air Catcher
2. Tear in My Heart
3. Smithereens
4. Formidable
5. The Craving
6. Days Lie Dormant
Instrumental
1. Ned's Cozy Fireplace - 10 Hours of Relaxing Twenty-Øne Pilots Mixes
Lullaby/Soft
1. Before You Start Your Day
2. Truce
3. Leave the City
4. Heathens/Trees - Livestream Version
5. The Craving (Jenna's version)
6. Cottonwood
7. Intentions
Implicitly Christian
1. Fall Away
2. Holding on to You
3. Screen
4. Heavydirtysoul
5. The Judge
6. Goner
7. Downstairs
8. Tally
If You Want to Cry
1. Goner
2. Cancer
3. Neon Gravestones
4. Redecorate
5. Oldies Station
6. Center Mass
7. Cottonwood
If You Want to Analyze a Metaphor
1. Addict With A Pen
2. March To the Sea
3. A Car, a Torch, a Death
4. Taxi Cab
5. Isle of Flightless Birds
6. Neon Gravestones
7. Cut My Lip
8. Robot Voices
If You Want Commentary on the Government
1. Lane Boy
2. We Don't Believe What's on TV
3. Never Take It
4. Lavish
If You Want to Sample as Many Songs as Possible in as Little Time as Possible
1. Choker/Stressed Out/Migraine/Morph/Holding On To You - Livestream Version
2. Lane Boy/Redecorate/Chlorine - Livestream Version
3. Saturday/Level of Concern/Ride/Car Radio - Livestream Version

3) They're Artists Who Are Christians

There is some debate on this topic, but I will stand by the belief that Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun (the band members) are Christians. I have a friend who thinks they left the faith, but respectfully, I don't agree. A while ago, I was asked my stance on this by a fellow Substacker, and I responded with this:

It’s a little debated among the fandom because of some of the more liberal trends Fueled By Ramen (their producer) has pressured them to participate in, but I believe so. FBR also mandated the recall of Regional At Best and No Phun Intended when TØP signed, and those albums have very heavy religious themes. FBR/TØP won’t say anything about it, but I believe FBR recalled them because of the religious aspect. Self-titled was written around the same era as RAB (NPI predates Josh and Chris if memory serves) and also has very heavy religious themes. Vessel followed suit, but it died out a little as FBR wanted them to be more into secular stuff. I was very hopeful that they had remained strong in the faith, though I didn’t see overwhelming evidence until the release of Breach. Downstairs confirmed any doubts I had—it is the most explicitly Christian song since RAB and self titled in my opinion (although there are many other, more hidden references in the lore albums!!). All that to say I wholeheartedly believe, whatever denomination, whatever level of liberal propaganda FBR has forced onto their exterior advertising, Tyler and Josh have faith in Christ.

A lot of people will bring up times when LGBTQ flags have been featured at concerts, but to me, those examples don't feel like people who are really into the cause. They feel more like an artist who was told by a producer, "You're ours now. Take down those songs and put up these flags if you want to keep releasing music." Some people even speculate that they're trying to leave FBR, which while unconfirmed and maybe even far-fetched, supports my thought process.

Some quick research shows this: FBR also owns or at one point owned Paramore, Fall Out Boy, and Panic! at the Disco (among others). All three of these artists have featured pride flags in concerts. All three of them have also explicitly endorsed their support of pride concepts: gay members, condemning people who are against gay marriage, etc. However, searching "Tyler Joseph on pride" brings up an alarmingly low number of results: one 2018 concert where he wore a pride flag like a cloak and one Twitter post from June 1st, 2020 reading "happy pride month to all, but mostly to my brothers and sisters i’ve met all around this world who should know, i take pride in your courage. it ain’t easy." No condemnation, no endorsement, no explicit support at all. To me, that doesn't look like someone adamant that "love is love" and gender is whatever you feel like it should be. That looks like someone who wants to stay as true to their beliefs as possible while also not losing access to a decade and a half of songwriting.

Does this say something about their dedication to sharing the faith? Maybe. Does it say something about their desire to remain close to their fandom? Maybe. Does it say something about how much control FBR has over their music? Maybe. But ultimately, someone's relationship with God is between them and God. It's not really for us to weed out and discern and argue about. Whatever you want to believe about their personal beliefs, I think it's really more about how you interpret the music. It's very easy to interpret it as Christian music, so I do.

Even if you aren't Christian, you have to admit it adds a certain peace of mind. You won't find anything sacrilegious here.

4) But Most Importantly, Stay Alive

-Tyler Joseph, Power to the Local Dreamer

One of the biggest reasons people love Twenty-Øne Pilots (besides the lore) is the theme of hope and getting through mental health problems, difficulties in life, and suicidal thoughts. As I'll briefly cover later, the lore itself is a picture of the battle against depression, impulsive thoughts, schizophrenia, anxiety, OCD - any mental health issue, really. No matter what you're struggling with, the lore can be a picture of it.

What's more, the lore and the artists never say, "And then you'll be all better!" They don't tell you to just get diagnosed or try new meds or pull yourself together. They show you that the struggle is real, it's a cycle, it's a spiral and you can spiral up. They've saved hundreds of lives and helped thousands of people. Tyler and Josh, the band members, both struggle with mental health issues and are open about it. The music often directly relates to Tyler's current state of mind. I've been very inspired by it over the years, and I've seen countless others identify closely with the music. No matter what you're going through, there's a Twenty-Øne Pilots song for it.

Why Twenty-Øne Pilots is Specifically Great for Writers

Not only do I think Twenty-Øne Pilots is the best music artist there is, I think they're particularly appreciated by writers. They have a special appeal to writers, I think, for a couple of different reasons. Here's why!

1) He's a Writer, and He Writes About Writing

Tyler Joseph writes all the Twenty-Øne Pilots music as far as I know, so of course, he's a writer. It isn't often, and it isn't usually obvious, but he will periodically write about writing. What's more, he has written songs and talked about how finding something to create (such as writing) can give you a purpose and a reason to live when it's hard to find anything else (other than Christ, naturally). This isn't the biggest reason I think Twenty-Øne Pilots appeals so much to writers, but I think it's a contributing factor.

2) There's a Song for Everything

Writers, I believe, are notorious for wanting to put their exact feelings into perfectly poetic words. Not just telling someone how we feel. We want to write something so powerful that it makes you feel what we're feeling. Our entire mission is to make you emotionally invested in our stories, and to do that, we have to make you feel what we do. Twenty-Øne Pilots (particularly Tyler, as he almost always writes the songs) are particularly skilled at capturing feelings in songs. They don't just go on about how life is hard or it's sad or it's frustrating. They have a unique way of writing elegantly and cohesively while also putting words to very particular feelings. If memory serves, Tyler has said in interviews that he didn't really think he was the rapping type, but as he tried to put more and more words into songs, he just had to say them quickly to get them all in. And it's no wonder, because there's no way you could say everything he says in less words.

3) For Real, Though - It's the Lore

Okay, okay. The other two are really just add-ons - I think what really captures writers is the same thing that got them into writing - stories. The story in the lore is just a different type of breathtaking to a writer. It's endlessly complex, full of hundreds and hundreds of hidden clues and references no one has even found yet. I aspire to think as hard about my stories as Tyler Joseph does. Often, lore is just a few things or a couple songs, but the Twenty-Øne Pilots lore is something else altogether. I am constantly shocked by how deeply this artist thinks about everything. It's often said that they never do anything on accident or without purpose. From haircuts to tattoos to interviews to inside jokes to music videos to the origin of their name, so much of it is connected. It's mindblowing, really, and I think writers are especially captivated by the depth of it. In the same way we marvel at the Cosmere in Brandon Sanderson's mind, I have always marveled at the way Twenty-Øne Pilots manages to tell such a fantastic story through music.

The lore is a picture of mental health disorders. I won't go too deep into it in case you're not really into that sort of thing, and I'll explain it in depth in my post on Friday. All you really need to know is that the main character is trapped in a city that represents mental health disorders. The leaders of the city glorify death by self-destruction (yes, that means what you think it does. I didn't say it was happy, I said it was good). The main character repeatedly tries to escape the city, is recaptured, escapes, fights the leaders, etc., etc. I won't spoil it now, since I'll explain it to you later if you want to know more. The point is, it's an amazing story. It's beautifully written. It's captivating, it's stunning, it's well told, and it's saved countless lives. These songs, even though they aren't expressly Christian, have brought people to Christ. I digress - but you can't convince me that isn't the coolest thing ever. Talk about being a witness in everyday life.

Maybe you aren't convinced at all. Maybe you're not sure why you should care. Maybe you're wondering why you should read an essay on music instead of listening to the music and just seeing if you like it. My answer to that would be, if you're the type of person to get hyperfixated on something, this could be your next obsession. For me, casually listening to a few songs quickly turned into being a superfan. Twenty-Øne Pilots has been the top artist by far on my Spotify Wrapped since I was 13 and usually constitute at least three of my top five songs. I know every song they've released, even the ones that aren't supposed to exist. I've seen them in concert (unfortunately I've only been able to afford it once) and watched every behind the scenes video and YouTube Short I can get my hands on.

Okay, okay, you say, I get it. I might end up with a brand-new hyperfixation. But you're going to have to do more than talk my ear off. You're going to have to set me up with a few songs or a link or something.

Never fear. If you don't really care and you figure you might as well hear a few songs and see what's up, here's a link to some of the best ones (in my opinion, with several others that are friends' favorites and fan favorites - not just the ones everyone knows).

But if you're ready to jump straight in, hang tight. This Wednesday, at 12am EDT, the second post in this miniseries will drop:

Welcome to the Clique.