Twenty One Pilots: “Choker / Shy Away” Single Review
I hated Trench, but I held a lot of respect for the band’s evolution and unique style of sound. But with these two new singles after “Level of Concern,” that respect I held for them is flushed down the toilet.
Originally published 5 May 2021
Two steps forward, and five steps back.
I really hated Twenty One Pilots’ last album. I have never liked rap music, and I have never liked Twenty One Pilots to begin with, although I could enjoy a select few songs. But despite the genre and delivery, I hold a lot of respect for Twenty One Pilots. Or at least, I did, until they had to turn around and pull a Kaiser Chiefs on us.
Twenty One Pilots is unique because they are a rap duo, but it’s a kind of rap even I could learn to love. Honestly, I’m more embarrassed than I’d like to admit how much I love “Ride” from their 2015 record, Blurryface. I didn’t enjoy Trench because it was more of a rap album than anything else they had released thus far, but that’s not to say I didn’t think it was a bad move from the band. It was simply a genre of music I couldn’t find myself enjoying.
When “Level of Concern” was released, I was not the only disappointed critic — fan of the band or not. But I simply assumed it was an effect of the pandemic; so many great bands in 2020 released music not quite on par in an attempt to either push anything out or to get ahead of the times before everything blew over.
I’m not sure how many people expected for this trend to continue. Rather than jumping off of the sound that they had evolved from Trench, “Choker” revisits the band’s Blurryface vibes whilst simultaneously dropping absolutely everything they have worked for in their sound.
What is this? Yes, I would so much prefer to listen to either of these songs compared to Trench, but while I hate rap music, hearing “Choker” and “Shy Away” after hearing the rest of their discography makes me want to cry. Remember when Kaiser Chiefs took a 180 and decided to start writing electronic pop songs all of a sudden? It’s happening again, and from the duo you would’ve least expected it from.
As songs individually, either one barely meets the bar if at all. “Choker” starts off amazing with the tumbling drums, whining synths and mumbling vocals, and the melody isn’t half bad. But of course it had to be ruined by the underwater sound of the chorus. It’s been so overused at this point; it’s specifically reminiscent of Linkin’ Park’s last album with the tone of the lyrics. It’s basically slamming the mood of the depressing but slightly hopeful tone into our face and then rubbing it in further. The song did have a rap, but it’s the least memorable portion of the song. It didn’t even its own kicker or hook, just “Hey, remember how we’re supposed to be a rap duo kind of? Yeah, so we’re gonna rap now, ’cause that’s what we do.” The song never reaches a conclusion or a climax, and while it is a melody I could start singing and not get angry, I doubt anyone will be able to remember the song in future years.
And you can’t tell me “Shy Away” doesn’t ring any bells for you, either. It doesn’t start off as strong as the former, and it has a melody that I swear I have heard a million times before. Unlike the melancholy mood of “Choker,” “Shy Away” is upbeat — almost giddy in comparison — and it’s frankly sickening. Both songs follow a tedious structural path with the two verses followed by the chorus, and “Shy Away” just *had* to repeat the chorus not twice, but nearly three times. They tried to pull it off like a bridge, but it just sounds like a more progressive chorus — at times, it seems like they just copy/pasted the chorus instead of recording it three times.
I doubted before that I would ever fully enjoy a Twenty One Pilots’ record, and now I can almost guarantee it. There’s a part of me that still holds out on the band that they’ll go back to their roots while still allowing themselves to evolve; if they are reduced to just another band stooping down to write tedious pop songs, the world will have truly suffered a great loss.
Rating: 2/5
