Music
Plus One
The 11 best Twenty One Pilots songs
The Clancy World Tour is almost here, so we've ranked the best Twenty One Pilots tracks to celebrate
Few bands manage to build bridges like Twenty One Pilots. As much a chart-topping monolith as an underground community leader, their career is one full of broken records, worldwide acclaim, and life-changing power. Since the release of their 2024 album, Clancy, the culmination of almost a decade’s worth of storytelling and lore-crafting, they now look set to expand their universe and their stratospheric appeal even further.
So, before The Clancy World Tour hits the UK, let’s look back over their discography and pick out the cream of the crop. Though everybody has their own relationship with every song the band has released, something about this bunch sticks out from the pack. Argue amongst yourselves anyway…
11. ‘Level Of Concern’
(Single, 2020)
Very few songs from the early days of the Covid pandemic could be described as ageing like wine rather than milk. Yet with ‘Level Of Concern,’ Twenty One Pilots managed to create something that was necessary for what the world was going through without pandering to already outdated tropes. Bass-heavy and laid-back, with plenty of disco speckled throughout, and lyrics that made the world turning on its head feel that little bit less scary, it’s the best sort of ointment. It’s also another case of the band defining a period without it coming to define them.
10. ‘Shy Away’
(Scaled And Icy, 2021)
Within the universe that Twenty One Pilots have created, the context of their 2021 album, Scaled And Icy, could be interpreted as songs that the duo were forced to play and perform by higher powers. Outside of that world, it doesn’t stop ‘Shy Away’ from being some of the most brilliant songwriting to which they have committed their name. Putting percussion at the forefront and building with a rhythmic intensity that is impossible to ignore, it feels fresh and fierce without ever straying too far from what the duo were always destined to produce.
9. ‘Migrane’
(Vessel, 2013)
Like with much of 2013’s Vessel, ‘Migraine’ is a track that doesn’t shy away from its subject matter – the headache that comes with depression, and the idea that not existing might be better than sitting through the pain. Having such a heavy sentiment pushed through the lens of jaunty pianos and exaggerated vocal expressions may feel like a less-than-suitable method of transport, but to those who have experienced such pain will surely find it all as charming as they do relatable. That’s why it’s such a genius move from the duo; positioning alternative pop in a shape that feels as accessible as it does inspirational.
8. ‘Heathens’
![twenty one pilots: Heathens (from Suicide Squad: The Album) [OFFICIAL VIDEO]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UprcpdwuwCg/0.jpg)
(Suicide Squad: The Album, 2016)
Now, many people have a lot to say about the 2016 Suicide Squad movie. But no matter how all over the shop it was, it still gave the universe one hell of a suckerpunch because of ‘Heathens’. As connected to the lore of the movie, it was written to exist in its own world entirely; the colossal nature of each wavy ebb and ferocious flow that makes up this exceptional track is enough to justify being the soundtrack to the end of all things.
7. ‘Stressed Out’
![twenty one pilots: Stressed Out [OFFICIAL VIDEO]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pXRviuL6vMY/0.jpg)
(Blurryface, 2015)
A record breaker. A scene definer. The sort of song that bridges generations. ‘Stressed Out’ has been streamed 2.2 billion times on Spotify, viewed 2.8 billion times on YouTube and is certified diamond in the US. That’s 10 million sales, by the way. All of this comes down to the fact that it is just a flawless piece of alternative songwriting. The woozy synths, the inquisitive lyrics, the chorus that hooks itself to your frontal lobe and refuses to budge –the song is a benchmark for anybody who wants to infiltrate the mainstream while also avoiding the zeitgeist like the plague.
6. ‘Tear In My Heart’
![twenty one pilots: Tear In My Heart [OFFICIAL VIDEO]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nky4me4NP70/0.jpg)
(Blurryface, 2015)
On top of perfectly embodying the experience of fighting against your head and heart every day, Twenty One Pilots are also well-equipped when it comes to love songs. ‘Tear In My Heart’ is one such glistening example simply because it doesn’t try too hard. More so it focuses on the little things; the joyful every day and the warmth you feel in your stomach when you see that special someone’s face. Sporadic and sensationally cute, this is one for the lovers.
5. ‘Holding Onto You’
![twenty one pilots: Holding On To You [OFFICIAL VIDEO]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ktBMxkLUIwY/0.jpg)
(Vessel, 2013)
‘Holding On To You’ is historically the first single Tyler and Josh released as signed artists following their handshake with Fueled By Ramen. In many ways, it’s a wonderful manifesto of what could be expected from the duo as they plotted their ascent to the top. Sitting perfectly in the twee alternative shell of the early 10’s, but with enough vicious bite, off-kilter structure and stark honesty, this tale of clinging onto the things that often get lost in the fog is as hopeful as it is heartbreaking.
4. ‘Next Semester’
(Clancy, 2024)
Released as one of the lead-up singles to Clancy, it instantly felt like a classic. Combining sweaty punk energy with driving intensity, it’s a song that unfurls itself like a flower. After the effortless catchiness has washed over the details of what happened when things almost got too much for Tyler Joseph, it hits you like a freight train. Years of world-building and soul-bearing led to this: like staring into the headlights about to drive through you. It’ll stick with you long after the ukulele has faded away.
3. ‘Car Radio’
![twenty one pilots: Car Radio [OFFICIAL VIDEO]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/92XVwY54h5k/0.jpg)
(Vessel, 2013)
Some songs sound so of their time that they transport you back to when they were written. Some do that, but then also somehow manage to feel timeless as well. That’s ‘Car Radio’; a track that combines EDM, poetic bars and earnest expression in a way that feels gripping and relatable. Delicate yet decadent, there’s a reason that Tyler Joseph climbs on top of a pole to scream this one at every live show. Gorgeously patient, vibrantly cathartic and ready-made for confetti to burst out when it drops, it’s alternative storytelling at its most compelling.
2. ‘Chlorine’
(Trench, 2018)
Pilots’ 2018 album Trench is in many ways an intimate affair. The glitz and glamour was stripped back to the bare bones and reshaped, creating songs that were infectious and intricately powerful. ‘Chlorine’ is one such example, where the focus is on the music and its magic. The journey of falling head over heels for a sound before forgetting what it has done for you, only to be ready and waiting to be rediscovered all over again, is a beautifully bizarre composition that resonates with the beats of your heart as much as the taps of your feet.
1. ‘Trees’
(Vessel, 2013)
Music should always make you feel like your body is exploding with feeling. Be that pure happiness, cloudy uncertainty or pitch-black despair, as long as it is a catalyst for something more. The reason ‘Trees’ may very well be the best song that Twenty One Pilots have released is because it manages to trigger so many feelings in so many different people simultaneously. The soft patter of the introduction held together by strips of doubt. The euphoric burst of the synth break. The tear-stained chorus. It’s a song that feels like life itself. The pursuit of purpose, the delight in the little things, the prospect of what a day holds when you’re still alive to enjoy it. This song feels like the definition of Twenty One Pilots. And that feeling in your chest the first time you hear it? That will never go away.
