This weeks New Tunes Tuesday is a doubler – because there are two songs by this duo that I want to share with you, for the same reason – so thought I’d kill two birds with one stone. This week, it’s Twenty One Pilots (Twenty Øne Piløts, if you will)
You’ve probably heard of them before, to be honest. “Heathens” featured in the movie Suicide Squad, and they’ve quite a back catalog, most recently “Stressed Out” and “Ride” being two of their biggest singles.
Anyway, enough of the waffle, let’s get on with the tune(s).
Trigger Warning: There are references to mental health, and on some levels, suicide, in this post. Please, if you’re easily upset by these subjects, give this a miss.
In this Post.....
“Car Radio”
Genuinely written about a car radio being stolen – the track moves its focus on to how you can subtly find distractions in life to “drown out” the noise in your head. Personally, I simply can’t sit in silence, not so much to drown anything out, but more because I love music and enjoy listening to it.
“Music can act as a distraction and can get in the way of where your mind wants to go”
Tyler Joseph – Twenty One Pilots
With lyrics such as “Sometimes quiet is violent” and “I’m forced to deal with what I feel – There is no distraction to mask what is real” the references to the struggles people experience are clear to see. Have a listen, and see what you think.
On to the second track I want share by Twenty One Pilots:
“Kitchen Sink”
This song is primarily about struggling, with, well, anything, really. Struggling with purpose, I guess. In an interview, Tyler explains the meaning of the song, or not, as the case may be. It’s clearly quite personal, but the lyrics behind it really do make you think. Here’s that quote:
One of the reasons why I started writing music in the first place was to address some of these big questions I had. One of them being “what’s the point?” I know it sounds dramatic, but it’s something that was haunting me. What’s the point of everything that we do? Really looking for purpose is a huge reason to exist. So I found that creating something that only you understand can be the beginning of purpose for you.
Tyler Joseph – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWt2PT8VLsY
So for me, something important in my life happened to me at a kitchen sink. And in my darkest hour, when deciding whether or not to continue or not, I realised that if I don’t continue, no one will be around to explain what that lyric means. So it… helps me. So creating something whether it’s a journal, or a piece of artwork, something that you don’t reveal the meaning of, can help you know that if you leave, no one will be around to explain this. So in short, I’m not going to tell you what that kitchen sink means to me because I need it to be only known by me.
“Nobody thinks what I think” – for me, this is a really powerful line – because it simply emphasises that we are all unique, no two people are the same, and our thoughts simply mirror that. It emphasises why I get annoyed when people simply gloss over mental health issues by saying “oh cheer up” or “go and do something fun, take your mind off it” – for some people, it just isn’t that simple, and we should all be more sympathetic to that. “Because a kitchen sink to you, is not a kitchen sink to me.“
“Are you searching for purpose?
Then write something, yeah it might be worthless
Then paint something then, it might be wordless
Pointless curses, nonsense verses
You’ll see purpose start to surface
No one else is dealing with your demons
Meaning maybe defeating them
Could be the beginning of your meaning, friend”
Music is one of those things that can totally change my mood, my mindset, and most importantly, my attitude. I have songs that make me sad, songs that make me happy, and in the case of these two tracks, songs that simply make me sit back and think.
It’s no secret that Twenty One Pilots tackle some serious issues in their songs, and it’s great that they’re using that platform to normalise vocalising how you feel. Talking about mental health struggles is a crucial part of understanding, accepting, and hopefully, healing. Singing about them works just as well 😉
Pull up a chair, turn the volume up (the songs sound great on a good speaker setup) and give these tracks a play. And if you enjoy them, check out bands / artists such as YUNGBLUD, Panic! At the Disco, Cavetown and All Time Low
You can also follow our New Tunes Tuesday playlist on Spotify, if you wanted a playlist of all the tracks we add over the coming weeks, or check out previous new tunes Tuesday posts.