Last summer, I always played the Top 40 Alternative Pandora station while I worked as a barista. This super rad song called "Stressed Out" came on several times a day, and I loved it, so I went home one night and researched what I thought was this low-key new group. Five hours, dozens of YouTube videos and four albums later, I walked away with a new favorite band.
Twenty One Pilots isn't the typical, mainstream, angsty, band for teenage girls that an unfortunate amount of people believe. It really turns out that Twenty One Pilots is one of the best bands around, and here's why:
1. While mainstream, they're still sincerely good.
Too many people write off Twenty One Pilots solely because they're popular. Because a few songs are played incessantly on pop radio stations, people jump to the conclusion that they can't be a good band. This, however, is one of the few cases of honestly good musicians receiving the notoriety and popularity they deserve.
2. They're hard to hate.
Aside from the "they're popular, so they suck" argument, I've never heard anyone actually diss Twenty One Pilots' music. Even if their sound doesn't appeal to some people, I've never heard anyone claim that the music isn't good. Taylor Swift, Justin Beiber, Meghan Trainor and most other pop artists, while they have a loyal fanbase, often face claims that both they - as people and their music - are trash. I can't even imagine such claims made seriously about Twenty One Pilots.
3. The songs are refreshingly complex.
Most artists that share radio stations with Twenty One Pilots boast the repetitive but catchy style that pop songs usually have (and that most people usually complain about). One listen to Twenty One Pilots' music proves that their music is more complex than what usually comes on the radio.
4. The music is lyrically beautiful.
Along with their above-par sound, the lyrics are wildly beautiful. No Twenty One Pilots song is boring or repetitive, and no Twenty One Pilots song doesn't carry a strong message and feeling. They write music that means something.
5. The lyrics are honest about struggles with anxiety and depression.
In those complex, beautiful lyrics, they cover a lot of topics surrounding mental illnesses. But the ideas don't come across as being about some strange disease to be ignored and pushed into the corners of society, but as issues and thoughts everyone struggles through sometimes. It's not a diagnosis for outsiders, but a thing to be talked through, wrestled with and, ultimately, victorious over.
Once I was listening to Twenty One Pilots with a friend who wasn't terribly familiar with them, and she mentioned that what she liked from what she'd heard so far was that they are honest about dark topics yet somehow simultaneously bring so much light and hope.
6. The members of the band seem to be wonderful people.
Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun are as far as possible from your typical industry-made pop stars. They give the impression of being real people who really care about real issues. They make their own music, and they care about it deeply. I debriefed a friend when he returned from a Twenty One Pilots concert, and he said that there was one point where Tyler got all choked up and thanked the crowd for their energy and talked about how grateful he was to be able to inspire so many people.
7. They love playing live.
In one of their commentary tracks, Tyler flat-out admits, "It's who we are. We're a live band. We love playing live music." Their concerts confirm this. My friend told me they have wild energy, and seeing them perform live reinforced what he already loved about them.
8. They sincerely care about their fans.
This fact is evident in a lot of what Tyler and Josh do and what their lyrics say. But one thing that sticks out in particular is Tyler's commentary on their song "Guns For Hands." He talks about different encounters he had with mass amounts of fans struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts. He thought someone should acknowledge that it's a problem and encourage kids to redirect that energy into something else. Since he writes songs, he figured he'd be the one to say something. Coupling that meaning with the song's actual lyrics makes it infinitely neat to me that this songwriter cares so deeply and personally about his fans.
9. Their music brings people together.
Everyone can relate to these lyrics. Everyone has experienced the things they write about. And everyone can use some hope every now and again. People you'd never imagine having anything in common can share a love of Twenty One Pilots.
10. They make everything OK.
The main reason why I think Twenty One Pilots is a great band is because of the personal impact they've had in my life. They always seem to have the perfect song for whatever I'm going through. When I've got all my thoughts tangled up in my head or I'm wrapped up in anxiety or when I'm (unfortunate pun warning) just too stressed out, their music seems to make it all better for a little while.
