In October 2018, Twenty One Pilots fans were blessed with their return after a year long hiatus from the music scene. The album, Trench, placed first on Rock Sound’s Best Albums of 2018 and was well received by fans from across the world.
For the past few days, fans have had a taste of an impending release as frontman Tyler Joseph hinted at wanting to release the song now on Twitter. “Always writing,” he said, “but this one feels like it should just come out now”. It was only yesterday that they announced officially that the new song, “Level of Concern”, would be released today. The album was released at 5pm and at the time of writing has already had nearly 500k views on YouTube.
The song feels very inspired by the Coronavirus outbreak, the lyrics following a theme of panic and quarantine. They talk about needing to be okay, being locked down, but mostly about the feeling of being reassured by the people around you.
Long time fans will recognise the music as having the signature sound that their songs often have. It opens with a distorted, low riff played by Tyler Joseph on the guitar, and a steady beat created by Josh Dun on the drums. About two minutes into the song, it slows down, the instruments being stripped away to a simply distorted sound, played behind Tyler Joseph harmonizing with the sound.
The new release came with a video that really reflects the feeling of being in quarantine in this time. It is a series of homemade videos with Tyler Joseph, his wife, and his child (whose birth was celebrated on Twitter by fans across the world). It also shows Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun in a studio recording the song, presenting the process of creation in a limited area. The video ends with Josh Dun and Tyler Joseph decorating their recording spaces into performance-like areas using lights and reflections.
The song truly showcases the signature Twenty One Pilots sound, and fans are excited to see what they have in store for us next.
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