ALBUM REVIEW: Scaled and Icy - Twenty One Pilots

 On the release of this album, I didn't get a chance to write a review. Back in 2021, I mentioned it on my best list and said I was irritated with the lashing of this release. A year later, I am just as irritated seeing the dead horse beat again, and I have decided it is time to share my perspective on this album. 

I feel the reason this album is being universally hated is because it isn't something we want to hear. Which is funny, because none of Twenty One Pilots is something you want to necessarily hear. Tyler's lyricism refers heavily to mental illness, insecurities, societal problems, etc. 

Many of the fans discuss a deep, intense lore of the albums interconnecting them as a world. That's all cool and good. I know nothing about the lore really and in my attempt to look at it, it was so confusing and deeply ridden I couldn't put my head around it. When you need hour long commentaries to explain it to people, you probably aren't going to receive as many "new" takers. I admire the fans who see the lore and connect it all. But it reminds me too much of the Taylor Swift Easter eggs I also rarely solve but admire those who can.

Obviously, to start, Scaled and Icy is not Trench. It is not even Blurryface. However, many of the songs follow a similar musical structure to past songs. There's no song that feels that it isn't or cannot be a Twenty One Pilots song. What throws many off is what they are calling a "lyrical regression". Yes, Scaled and Icy is considered the "sellout pop album", with "no meaning", and "poor lyricism". That having lore is "not an excuse to make a bad album". There's been no mercy on this release, even a year later. I excepted some what of a fall because Trench is an amazing album all around. I just did not expect even the fans to keep beating it with a hard stick. 

Scaled and Icy is not a bad album. I am going to heavily stand by this assessment. Scaled and Icy is the album we don't want to hear. It is a commentary on our divisive world, and the media and social media feeds that run it. It is its own "Dema". Most of the songs have lovely abilities to have double meanings, which also destroys the argument of "poor lyricism". In the context, the messaging makes the most sense as a story. It is a strong commentary on the way social media and text has affected our every day thought process and human interactions. And it tells us some things we may not want to hear, but they've never told us what we want to hear. Car Radio, Tyler laid down his mission...

"And I will try with every rhyme

To come across like I am dying
To let you know you need to try to think"

The album starter "Good Day" shares someone having a pretty terrible time, losing everything, and yet trying to say everything's just perfect. In the world of competition with influencers and the like, there's a need to create this facade that life is perfect and good. Behind the scenes, things can be awful, but it doesn't look good online.

"Choker" represents a vast amount of people, including me. We are all too afraid to act on certain things so we often will lament and anger post online. If you tried to pull these out of me in person, it wouldn't be the same story. Born a "choker". Anxiety of feeling what ifs, what if the answer is wrong, what if this socially isolates me, etc. You're expected to fall in line with a certain belief, bias, and concept and good or bad stepping outside it can be detrimental to future interactions. It does often make one "choke".

"Shy Away" resembles a sort of peer pressure that attempts to get you off your feet. Sometimes, this is a good thing. We encourage someone to shed their old skins of difficulties and find happiness in the outside world. Other times, it allows the pressuring and enabling of bad thoughts and damaging characteristics, and pressures someone into conforming into only one way of thought. However they do it, they always display themselves with the "greatest intentions".

"The Outside" references the slow regression where we have forgotten to try to think. With doom scrolling, endless opinions and thinkpieces, bot accounts manipulating, etc. social media has not taught us to critically think. It has taught us to become defensive, to dig our toes deeper in our biases. It has taught us to isolate ourselves from any discussion which may open our minds and instead make thinkpieces on why the side is wrong and we're right. Following the leader. Heads moving up and down, before never really knowing if we're on the right side of history.

"Saturday" really references the privilege many have to bury their head in the sand, ignore the dumpster fire going on around and behind them, and just "paint the town". What are they painting with? Complacency and a lack of need personal change. Denial.

"Never Take It" discusses how the current clickbait world is weaponizing our emotions by making us turn against each other, again getting back to The Outside and how we keep sinking ourselves in deeper on one side or the other without deeply thinking or applying empathy. A reminder to educate yourself fully and not just through your feed.

"Mulberry Street" gets back into our denial, but in reference to those who experience stigmas in relation to mental health. Judgment of one side comes from medicating and needing extra help, the other part is the struggle to keep things chirpy. Those who cannot meet the image should stop trying to take the bliss from other people. Get out of the way, we're living live, go live wherever you're living.

"Formidable" is a sweet sentiment in an age where it seems less and less common to develop close relationships with another person. This can take on many perspectives of someone idolizing another leader who has been able to put into words their feelings, a lover, a relative. Either way, there's a certain idolization happening of someone who they feel is better, stronger, smarter, and more capable than themselves as a person. It is a slippery slope to idealize someone so deeply though, and in the age of parasocial relationships, this is getting more slippery.

"Bounce Man" shows another upside is the encouragement we can receive when trying to separate from different perspectives on life. In the past, there was not the same opportunities to grow, educate yourself roundedly, and break the cycles. It is not a shame to run away from a way of life if you're running to something better, fuller, and safer. This can be an anthem for those leaving families and situations involving racism, homophobia, etc.

"No Chances" is a commentary of many things and feel it sums up some of the issues with it. For one, with the increased biases and toe digging there's now little wiggle room and little mercy from an unempathetic crowd online. They come for you, no second chances, no mercy. There's also the reality of all the thoughts you attempt to escape from and hide, these issues behind the camera are eventually catching up with you. The issue of realizing you rely too much on a feed to make you feel knowledgable of anything and the fear of missing out. The doom scrolling and creating anxiety and stress. The attempt escapisms from all the problems of the world. Eventually all of these issues catch up with you, and there's no chance to change it when you are faced with it after so much time.

The album closes with "Redecorate", which I view as an invitation. Whether you've been one of the bullies, one of the victims, one of the avoiders, one of the doomscrollers. You have an invitation to change your brand, become a stronger person, and avoid the faults that happen with the constant weaponizing and polarized discussions. To reach your hand across the aisle. To "redecorate".

I think this album is as meaningful as any other. It does not deserve the incessant lashings I see it receive. No one is giving Scaled and Icy a chance to speak, and I think it is maybe because no one wants to hear what it has to say. 

Music: 9/10 - If you like their previous music, you will have no issues enjoying Scaled and Icy. 

Lyrics: 9/10 - The only song I feel was too much of a miss lyrically was Saturday. I think it fits with the storyline, but it isn't the fullest body of work it could be. 

Overall: 9/10 - This is a good album. It is not Trench, they have completely different ideas and we need to stop comparing apples and oranges. I am done watching the world trash a good album with a solid storyline. Get off the horse. The album is good. You just don't like what Tyler said to you.