Why We're 99.9999% Convinced Twenty One Pilots Is Releasing New Music On Thursday
Could this be what Clancy has been trying to tell us?
As anyone who is a fan of theirs knows, American alternative hip-hop/rock duo Twenty One Pilots, comprised of lead vocalist Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun, blanketed their online and social media presence in radio silence as of July 6, 2017.
Now, almost one year to the exact day, they have officially broken their silence, sending what's being called a "cryptic message" in an email to fans, throwing up Billboards throughout the streets of major cities London, Toronto and Berlin (so far), and updating the cover and profile photos for their accounts on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Spotify with what appears to be imagery of a new logo or album cover.
And all on the cusp of the new full Blood Moon arriving on Thursday, July 12, bringing the longest lunar eclipse expected to occur over the course of the 21st century ...
The band's sudden reawakening has fans and followers wondering, is Twenty One Pilots releasing new music? If so, when, how and what will it be called?
Here are the details we know so far about the theories and rumors that Twenty One Pilots may release a new song or album this week (and why we think Thursday might be the big day!).
1. Their year-long "hiatus"
On July 5, 2017, the duo posted this video, announcing "chapter 5: the fifth and final chapter of SLEEPERS", on their Instagram account.
The following day, they shared "a series of pictures" featuring lyrics and an eye closing.
The words written backward over the images said, "You'll have to come and find me" and "And now I just sit in silence." Which, obviously, they did. For one year.
But first, on July 17 of last year, Josh appeared alone onstage to accept the 2017 AMPA (Alternative Press Music Awards) for most dedicated fan base, at which time he shared that Tyler was "off severing ties with Dema."
What, or who, is Dema? No one knows for certain, but many believe this to be the name of the fictional place their fictional character known as Clancy is thought to originate from.
Interestingly, one article on Heavy notes, "According to Wikipedia, the word 'Dema' means 'Tower of Silence' in Iran," which might make sense in correlation with one redditor's theory that Dema is also a code name for Fueled By Ramen (FBR), a subsidiary of Atlantic Records and the band's current label.
2. The cryptic emails
Last week, subscribers to the band's website received an email containing a GIF of what many believe to be a yellow eye, perhaps that of a dragon, with a subject line reading, "ARE YOU STILL SLEEPING?"
The email in question was signed not by Josh or Tyler, but by Clancy. While the specifics of Clancy's identity remain a mystery, he is thought by some to be "a manifestation of [the band's] emotional state."
As Heavy reports, "In the letter, Clancy speaks of an epiphany he had. He says that it wasn’t until his ninth year that he realized 'Dema' wasn’t his home as he once thought it was. Instead, he had come to see 'Dema' as a trap. The nine years aligns with how long Twenty One Pilots has been in existence."
While Dun and Joseph have remained silent throughout the past year, "Clancy" has been using their website as an "audio journal," posting occasional clues, codes, images and audio recordings for fans to decipher. Or at least, for them to attempt to make some sort of sense out of.
In a second new email to fans, Clancy added the following:
"They’re asleep. The night took forever to arrive, and now we’re almost ready. We’ve studied the watchers, and know that there’s no chance that we can step through unnoticed. So, instead of trying to hide ourselves, we’ll make sure that all of us are noticed. It’s been one year since the last convocation, and tomorrow’s Annual Assemblage of Glorified will be the biggest spectacle this concrete coffin of a city has seen all year.
If we time it right, we’ll divert the attention of the watchers and finally take the step through. We’ve had no contact, but we’re hoping the other side will be able to find a way in. We’re not sure of the breach location, but we are willing to risk being smeared in order to find it. We know that we must go lower, and wait for the torches. They’ve never seen anything quite like this, and by morning, everything will be different. I’m terrified and excited, all at the same time. They don’t control us."
4. The billboards
This morning, Billboards began popping up throughout London, and have now also been spotted in both Toronto and Berlin.
London
Toronto
Berlin
5. Social media images swapped
Over the course of the day, the Twenty One Pilots logo, cover and profile images have been swapped out across platforms — including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Spotify, and YouTube — with new images that appear to be a new band logo or cover art for an upcoming album.
6. The on-air announcement
One avid member of the 'Skeleton Clique', aka Twenty One Pilots most voracious fans, captured this recording of an announcement made today on Sirius XM radio station The Pulse, during which the DJ says:
"Twenty One Pilots have been cryptic for a few weeks on their website that fans finally figured out was run by the band. The duo officially broke their silence with an email last Friday, featuring a picture of a closing yellow eye with a subject line that said 'ARE YOU STILL SLEEPING?' It's the same [unclear] the band tweeted exactly a year ago when they went on hiatus. Fans are going to be happy to know, though, that it's all paying off soon. Their brand new song is due out this Thursday."
While some speculate that this statement was probably not supposed to be made public, and that the guys may now change the release date from Thursday, there is excellent reason to believe this date was chosen for deeply significant factors they won't want to shift from, which brings us to the final anchor that might just tie the theories and rumors together.
7. The upcoming Blood Moon and lunar eclipse
To make things even more fantastically fascinating, Thursday, July 12 brings us a new moon, and it isn't just any old full moon, but rather, a Blood Moon coinciding with the longest lunar eclipse of the entire 21st century!
Looking back on Clancy's updates over the past year, each one has included "MOON" within the characters of the given date.
Oh, and then there was this:
Just saying ...
Senior Editor and happily-former divorce coach/mediator Arianna Jeret is a recognized expert on love and relationships (except when it comes to her own life, of course) who has been featured in Cosmopolitan, The Huffington Post, Yahoo Style, Fox News, Bustle, Parents and more. Join her Sundays at 10:15 PM EST when she answers questions on Facebook Live on YourTango. For more, follow her on Twitter (@ariannajeret) and Instagram (@ariannajer).