My name’s Blurryface, and I’m back. twenty one pilots are teasing their return with a new era and an extended, cryptic video posted to their Instagram. In signature TØP fashion, this new phase includes heavy band lore and even names the iconic figure of their second album while threading in other characters to create their own mythical world.
“I AM CLANCY” reads the opening title sequence. A fresh sheet of typewriter paper continues on with a monologue from frontman Tyler Joseph aka Clancy. “I am trapped. Stuck in a cycle, I have never been able to break. I want to believe this is the last time, but I don’t know for sure.” The camera then cuts to Joseph emerging from a cave overlooking the ocean. Throughout the rest of the mini-flick, we see different artifacts from their previous albums.
The banditos, a continent deemed Trench, Nico aka Blurryface, fire and torches, ice caps, and arguably, Joseph being some type of vessel for what’s to come next. In the background, somber yet ominous music played until the ending shot of him in a red room, putting a mask over his head, similar to the band’s Blurryface album era.
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Their last release, Scaled And Icy, came out in 2021, and since then, the Ohio rockers have been relatively quiet. But that hasn’t stopped the dedicated Skeleton Clique from deciphering the message. In a recent Reddit thread on the band’s subreddit, fans attempt to decode what the video means. Some speculate that this is their final album before they retire, others believe this will be the final album to wrap up their “Dema” story before moving on to other potential concepts.
It isn’t abnormal for these types of fragmented messages from the duo. They’ve been known to tease fans with various easter eggs to keep up their mysterious storytelling methodology. Last week, for one, some fans received letters in their mailboxes that read in the header: “SACRED MUNICIPALITY OF DEMA – UNITED VIALISTS.” Signage across North America with their logo has been spotted on billboards, as well.
Whatever they’re up to, it’s hard to deny our excitement for their return to the music scene.
