It's Halloween! I love October 31st, and I couldn't let it pass without reviewing the most appropriate song currently hanging around the charts, 'Heathens' by Twenty-one pilots (Currently number 3 on the Billboard hot 100). I like TOP, they have a very large volume of very good material - the only problem I have with them is their almost cult-like fan base, which isn't their fault and is the main topic of 'Heathens' as a song.
The lyrics are pretty great for the most part, mainly because they manage to fit in with the 'Suicide Squad' movie the song was likely commissioned for, and relate the story of the supervillains to their fanbases growing troubles. The cult fanbase of TOP is unlike any band since 'My Chemical Romance', and the duo acknowledging this and actively trying to mend it through a song isn't the likely basis for a hit, but it has two things to thank for it's success:
The first is 'Suicide Squad', which might not have done very well critically or commercially but meant that 'Heathens' had a massive marketing push behind it, since it was a large part of the movie's promotion. The production on the song is what's kept it around though, with the creepy minimalism of the verses building up to the explosive drop, filled with a strangely creepy croak sound.
The song does have flaws though, the chorus is repeated just a little too often and the song could do with some variation in the second drop - such as a solo - since it's otherwise exactly the same but with less power due to less build-up. The main problem however is the pitch shifting. Tyler's vocals are sandwiched between extremely high and low pitched voices that are annoying and don't add anything to the song.
Nonetheless, 'Heathens' is a decent song that will likely have a long lifetime because it's going to be in Halloween playlists for the next decade at least. Twenty One-Pilots have released much better music, but if I had to listen to 'Heathens' once every year, I certainly wouldn't complain.
7/10
No comments:
Post a Comment