Album review: Twenty One Pilots delivers dynamic sound, battles inauthenticity in 'Scaled and Icy'

Twenty One Pilots has scaled up its production and chilled out its melodies. While better known for its Tumblr-esque emo hits like “Stressed Out” and “Ride,” the duo’s sixth studio album “Scaled and Icy” is a significant deviation from its alternative sound. Written throughout the pandemic, Twenty One Pilots’ most recent album explores a range of narratives and emotions, such as heartfelt family conversations and humorous narratives of fleeing to Mexico, ultimately offering a more hopeful glimpse of the world. While the duo Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun remain true to the world building and metaphorical lyricism of their prior albums, the retro-inspired production of their recent album unfortunately feels inauthentic at times. The duo opens the album with the bouncing piano chords and ukulele strums of “Good Day.” Though the melody of the song is motivating and optimistic, the gloomy lyrics behind Joseph’s jubilant voice bridge the gap between their new animated sound and the darker tone of their prior album, “Trench.” The retro-inspired sound is perfected in “Shy Away,” the lead single from the album. The track plays to Joseph and Dun’s strengths, with the strumming guitars accentuating Dun’s drumming talents. Soft backing vocals provide a coursing melody…
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