Twenty One Pilots have dropped their new single, The Contract. And if you’ve been following the breadcrumb trail since Blurryface, you’ll know this one’s knee-deep in narrative.
Picking up literally where 2024’s Clancy left off—right after the final whispered “Hello, Clancy”—The Contract keeps the lore-heavy worldbuilding alive. It’s moody, dense, and dramatic as hell, with a video that leans hard into their dystopian mythology. Whether that’s exciting or exhausting depends on your threshold for concept albums dressed in cryptic symbolism and digital dust.
Musically, it sounds like they’ve tightened the screws after Clancy, which felt more like a holding pattern than a leap forward. The Contract is a lot sharper. I’d also say it’s far less beige and more cinematic. It’s not a complete reinvention either, but it’s at least pointing toward something more confident.
The single also serves as the opening salvo for their upcoming eighth album, Breach, which lands this September (though they’re keeping the exact date close to the chest for now).
Alongside the drop, the Ohio duo have announced The Clancy Tour: Breach – a new North American headline run that sees them hitting stadiums and amphitheaters through September and October. Cities on the route include Toronto, Dallas, LA, Tampa, and their hometown Cincinnati. While no Australian tour dates have yet been announced, we will be sure to keep you in the loop once they are.
For any American’s looking to go though, tickets go on general sale next Friday (June 20) at 10am local time, with presale options available via their website.
Whether or not you’re still invested in the world of Dema, the fact remains: Twenty One Pilots know how to turn a tour into a spectacle. And with Breach on the way, the next chapter of their sprawling alt-pop sci-fi saga is just getting started.
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