'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Twenty One Pilots finally released the third single, Backslide, from their upcoming seventh studio album Clancy, which hit all major DSPs on April 25, 2024, via Ramen LLC.
The song was accompanied by a music video directed by the band's drummer, Josh Dun, in his directorial debut. The music video takes the viewers back to the hometown where both Josh and Tyler Joseph, lead singer for the band, grew up.
Although this song is a part of the "Lore Rich" Clancy album, the visuals showcased in the music video appear more personal drawing similarities to their earlier work on 2015's Blurryface.
Breaking down Twenty One Pilots' new single 'Backslide'
This article will take readers through Twenty One Pilots' latest single by breaking down the lyrics and visuals from the music video to derive a deeper understanding of the lore and what the duo is trying to convey with the song.
To understand Backslide, one needs to dive deeper into the idea of Clancy, a project based in a fictional fantasy world with interconnected storylines spanning multiple albums, dating back to Blurryface.
In short, the upcoming album follows the story of a man named 'Clancy' and his relentless fight to take back control of the city of Dema from a group known as The Nine Monks, who act as the city's government. Dema lies within the continent Trench, which is also the name of Twenty One Pilots' 2018 album.
Twenty One Pilots' Backslide is a Hip/Hop infused emotional production that lasts a little over three minutes, diving into dark themes of:
- Depression
- Self-hate
- Trauma
- Pain
- Avoidance
- Growth and Maturity
- Death
Disclaimer: This review is rated explicit. Reader's discretion is advised.
[Verse 1]
"Rat race, place to place, adding weight / Tendencies on repeat, innit? / Benefit from a shoe with no lace / Take the seat with the crease in it"
Backslide starts on a somber note as a reflection on existence by explaining how life feels like a fruitless "Rat Race".
The production of the song is very reminiscent of the band's breakout single Stressed Out, with the visuals taking viewers back as we find Tyler cycling around his old neighborhood.
"I don't mind if it's lonely / I don't mind if it's fair / I don't care, you control me / Leading me anywhere"
Toward the end of his verse, Tyler highlights his wishes to embrace these struggles he has had with life, even going as far as to bend to the control of external forces, allowing them to lead him "anywhere".
The emotional tone of the song is also reflected through Tyler's actions as he spends the majority of his verse displaying a very disgruntled and catatonic expression on his face, as he carelessly litters the neighborhood he once grew up in.
[Chorus]
"I don't wanna backslide to where I've started from / There's no chance I will shake this again / 'Cause I feel the pull, water's over my head / Strength enough for onе more time"
The beginning of the chorus finds Tyler explaining how he doesn't wish to "backslide," a term used here to express his relapse into past self-harming and abusive behavior.
The singer appears to believe that the trauma and temptations that come with revisiting his old surroundings are too strong for him to control, which is why we find him begging for the strength to pull through this feeling "one more time".
"Reach my hand abovе the tide / I'll take anything you have / If you could throw me a line / I should've loved you better"
As the chorus plays out, we see the surroundings change into a darker, gloomy environment with thunderous wind and rain pouring down over Tyler as wishes for hope.
These lines could also be referencing the Clancy lore where the protagonist (Tyler/Clancy) believes that if The Nine Monks, who run the city of Dema, ever manage to catch him escaping the city again they would torture him and hold him prisoner forever.
"Do you think that now's the time / You should let go? It's over my head"
The ending of the chorus is all about acceptance, with previous lines alluding to him asking out for help, his final lines here emphasize how the metaphorical water of pain, temptation, and trauma has risen over his head.
He calls out to the listeners, asking them to "let go" as it's too late, appearing to have accepted his eventual relapse into the harmful conditions he's evaded in his life up until that point.
[Verse 2]
"Bad place, on a hundred-dollar bass / Kinda wishin' that I never did, Saturday / Is that a stain? You should change / Are you doin' good?"
The second verse along with the music video's visuals provides a unique insight into Tyler's conflict with the depressive state of mind he has currently found himself in. He references Saturday, a song from the band's 2021 album Scaled and Icy, reflecting that he wished they never made the record.
The lines here also allude to the belief that as one grows older and mature, the problems they believed to be persistent and troublesome slowly fade away. The visuals highlight this as these questions are posed to Tyler by a young child, hinting at the singer's perception of this being his younger self questioning him on his growth.
"Did you solve all of your problems? / Thanks for asking, in a way, but / Accidentally uncovered a new one yesterday / What happened to what I brushed under the rug?"
The questioning continues before Tyler responds humorously stating that he appreciates the concerns over his growth as an individual. Unfortunately, this never stopped him from dealing with newer, more pressing issues even highlighting how he "uncovered one yesterday".
He ends his conversation with the young boy with a question about his repressed issues. Tyler appears to be questioning his own decisions to hide away or deny certain self-destructive issues that he may have by brushing them "under the rug".
"I used to be the champion of a world you can't see / Now I'm drowning in logistics"
Tyler's verse ends with him exclaiming his prior successes, explaining how everybody is aware that he used to be a "champion" but feels no longer worthy as he's unable to deal with the constant pressures that come with fame and success.
He pictures himself as "drowning in logistics" alluding to the extensive amount of paperwork, people, and supplies that he has to deal with consistently. The chorus for the song repeats twice before Tyler ends Backslide with a single sentence that reads:
"I don't wanna backslide"
With the third single from Clancy now officially released, fans can rest assured that Tyler's plans to release a music video for every song on Twenty One Pilots' upcoming studio album are already in motion, as both Overcompensate and Next Semester were released alongside accompanying visuals.
He also announced this past week that Clancy's release will be delayed, with the album being delivered to all DSPs a week later from its original release date of May 17 to May 24, 2024.
