NYT Mag says this Columbus band defines ‘where music is going’

Last month New York Times Magazine released its list of “25 Songs that Tell Us Where Music is Going,” and one breakout band from Columbus, OH made the list.

Defined by their genre-bending tunes and teenage appeal, Twenty One Pilots had their song “Stressed Out” featured, with some backhanded praise from Jayson Greene, a senior editor for Pitchfork.

“It sounds like a cheery telegram from turn-of-the-century MTV—a kind of singsong rap that transforms, in the chorus, into emo pop,” Greene writes. “The whole thing is like a microhistory of the last 20 years of suburban white people.”

Greene marvels at the song’s 110 million views on YouTube (a number which has practically doubled to 211 million views in the last month), because he has never heard of the band.

A writer for Pitchfork admitting he’s never heard of a band? Unthinkable!

In any case, it’s undisputed that Twenty One Pilots are making waves in the music industry, with “Stressed Out” reaching No. 3 on the Billboard charts, right behind Justin Bieber, and the band recently headlining a 58-date arena tour.

Their brand of rap-rock-reggae-emo-electronica might not sound like music to your ears, but the band’s rabid following among young people just might be an indicator of where music is headed.

 

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