Clancy is the seventh studio album by the American musical duo Twenty One Pilots, released on May 24, 2024, through Fueled by Ramen and Elektra Records.
[2][3] Written by frontman Tyler Joseph and produced with frequent collaborator Paul Meany, Clancy was announced on February 29, 2024, following weeks of speculation.
[5] On February 15, 2024, the cover art of Scaled and Icy as well as Vessel (2013), Blurryface (2015) and Trench were updated to be partially concealed with red tape on streaming platforms.
[24][25] On May 29, the band released an online-only collection, titled Clancy – Digital Remains, which includes live versions of the four singles and several pages containing new photos and "artifacts" in relation to the making of the album.
[30] The album was primarily composed and produced by Joseph and frequent collaborator Paul Meany, with additional writing contributions from Jake Torrey on "Routines in the Night".
[10][9] Clancy's accompanying storyline resumes in its opener "Overcompensate", a 1990s-tinged rocktronica track[34] driven by synthesizer layers,[35] hip hop stylings, and a "racing" breakbeat.
[35][36] Its upbeat production continues with the punk-infused garage rock tune "Next Semester",[18] which details a panic attack Joseph suffered as a college student.
[36] "Backslide" is a hip hop and rap rock track that elevates itself with echoing and morphed background vocals and "nonchalant" spoken verses, broken up by a "grueling" and "emotive" chorus.
[39] "Vignette" serves as a direct homage to Trench, with recurring themes of death, rebirth, decay and awakening—changing from moments of isolation to the culminating finale of a layered and crowded admission of "no, not me, it's for a friend".
[39][40] "Lavish" is a dream pop track that brings "funk and flair" to the record, and is punctuated by "hypnotic rap verses" and includes a "hearty bassline".
[39] The album closes with "Paladin Strait", a track containing whirring synths that are partnered with "beautiful guitar chords", which are described as feeling like a "voyage, a grand adventure in which its soft plucking and gentle strums usher you forward on a glorious but daunting journey".
[45][46] The final show of the small-scale series of performances was held at the Newport Music Hall in the band's hometown of Columbus, Ohio on May 24, to coincide with the album's release.
[52] Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic and Tom Carr of The Arts Desk commended Twenty One Pilots for creating "reliably catchy" and "intriguing" songs that not only "captured the imagination of a legion of fans", but can also grab the attention of listeners who are unaware of their "fascinating narrative".
[40][54] Kiana Doyle of the Associated Press called Clancy an "energizing" and "triumphant" conclusion to the band's arc that is filled with vim, vigor, and nostalgia.
[55] Ali Shutler of Dork called Clancy "a gorgeous, intricate record that cycles through tender, heartfelt moments, fiery rage, flexing swagger and frustrated self-destruction".
[41] Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone reviewed the album positively, saying it showed the band's "midlife growth," praising Clancy for not feeling scattered in its juggling of many genres and sounds.
[34] Clancy marked Twenty One Pilots' fourth consecutive top three album on the Billboard 200, debuting at number three with 143,000 album-equivalent units.