Twenty One Pilots Open Up About 'Toughest Era' In Retrospective Message

When Twenty One Pilots released Scaled and Icy last year, they weren't sure if they'd ever get to tour on it. Thankfully, live music slowly started back up again and the duo ended up not only embarking on their Icy Tour, but also their one-of-a-kind Takeøver Tour. It all worked out, but that doesn't mean it was easy. Far from it.

Frontman Joseph Tyler recalled the trials and tribulations TOP went through while making their latest album and going through "one of the toughest eras of touring ever" in a retrospective end-of-year Instagram post.

"scaled and icy was created and born in a time of uncertainty," he wrote. "live shows were always an important part of our dna as a band. we probably wouldn’t even exist without them. we always wrote songs for the show, never the other way around. but i always wondered what it would be like to write a record that never existed in a concert setting. then we had no choice but to write that kind of record. so that’s what we tried."

"as the songs took shape, and we released them, and sat at home, we felt proud. proud of our fans, mostly. it felt good to release music. but something was off. i wondered, what would happen to these songs if we let them echo through a venue?" Joseph continued. "and then, slowly, live music began to dust itself off. 71 shows and 14 countries later, scaled and icy became something different. the lyrics meant something different, something more, the colors found their purpose, the chords rubbed together differently. the record came to life. it was confirmed: this band and these specific songs needed live music."

He ended his message with a massive thank you to both the band's crew and fans, writing: "i want to thank our crew, who took us around the world during one of the toughest eras of touring ever. this past album cycle has meant so much to me.and you, you resilient bunch of my favorite people, you brought this to life and continue to support it. you have given me purpose, humility, and pride. you guys have given me so much. thank you. and that concludes ψ"

See Joseph's post below.