[22] The songs "Ode to Sleep", "Holding On to You", "House of Gold", "Car Radio", "Guns for Hands" and "Trees" were taken from their previous independent album, Regional at Best (2011), and re-recorded for Vessel; as a result, the former project was pulled from distribution by the band's newly-signed label, Fueled by Ramen.

[25] Recording for Vessel took place at Rocket Carousel Studio, located in Los Angeles, California with Greg Wells producing.

In a fan interview, Joseph spoke on the meaning behind the album's name, saying that "a vessel (our body) is an object carrying something far more important than the outer shell, and when we die, that is set free and lives on.

The release was accompanied by a YouTube variety stream celebrating the record's 10th anniversary; the livestream was a partnership and fundraiser for the non-profit Make-A-Wish Foundation where the band raised over $47,000.

Jason Pettigrew, writing for Alternative Press, praised the album's multi-genre influence: "The major-label debut by Twenty One Pilots traipses across electropop, hip hop and classic pop music—and that's just the first song."

In a more negative review, Rolling Stone's Dave DiMartino wrote: "The duo has somehow managed to take the most disagreeable and obnoxious aspects of the past decade's "rap-rock" legacy, throw in some of the most aggravating melodic aspects of Linkin Park and Blink-182, and put together a new album that will surely make you want to decry ever liking rock 'n' roll at least three times before a cock crows.

Each of its songs have also been certified gold or higher, making Twenty One Pilots the first and only band or artist to reach this accomplishment on two non-compilation albums after Blurryface (2015) passed the milestone the previous year.

[20] In 2014, Twenty One Pilots played a number of music festivals and other events all around the country which focused mainly on the album, such as Lollapalooza,[49] Bonnaroo,[50] Boston Calling, and Firefly.

[51] As a result, they took the show requests from different cities and blended them into the Quiet Is Violent World Tour, which began in September 2014, and ended later that same year.