Scaled and Icy is the upcoming sixth studio album by American duo, Twenty One Pilots.[1] The album is scheduled for release on May 21, 2021, through Fueled by Ramen and Elektra.[2][3] The album's title is an anagram of "Clancy is Dead", a reference to the protagonist of their previous album, Trench.[4]
Background and development
On March 4, 2019, five months after the release of their third studio album Trench, the band confirmed that they were working on their next studio album.[5] About the possible theme, frontman Tyler Joseph said, "there's a character that hasn't been talked about on any record yet that plays a huge role in the narrative that obviously will need to be talked about and it's probably where we're going next".[6] On April 9, 2020, the duo released the song "Level of Concern", which marked the first musical output by the duo since the release of Trench. The song encourages the listener to keep hope during hard times, specifically talking about the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]
In November 2020, Josh Dun revealed that they were still working "remotely" on the album, with both members being in different locations during the time. He describes the recording process, "we both have our own studios, which is really nice, so he comes up with a lot of stuff at his studio, sends it over to me, and then I come up with some stuff here at my studio and then send it back".[8] They began teasing the era in January 2021.[9] The album was first teased on April 6, 2021 through dmaorg.info — a website the band uses to share background stories and lore — via a poster including the text "New Album and Livestream Experience". The album was officially announced by the band a day later. The lead single "Shy Away" was released the same day, along with a music video.[10]
