Each event will give fans an early chance to hear “Breach” in full, connect with fellow fans of alternative rock and electropop, pick up limited-edition giveaways, and pre-order a copy of the record. While details vary by store, most listening parties are free to attend and open to all ages.
“Breach,” due Sept. 12, is the band’s eighth studio record. It’s a follow-up to 2024’s “Clancy,” which continued the band’s decade-long conceptual narrative begun with “Blurryface” (2015), and carried through with “Trench” (2018) and “Scaled and Icy” (2021). The band leaned into brighter, synth-heavy pop songs during the pandemic era, but the new record is expected to strike a darker, more experimental tone, closer in spirit to the group’s breakout albums.
The lead single “The Contract” has already hinted at that shift in mood.
Considering the proximity to the band’s origins, these listening parties are especially meaningful for fans in the Dayton area. Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun formed Twenty One Pilots in Columbus in 2009, playing small clubs and college venues before breaking out internationally. The band’s rise has been a point of pride for Ohio, from their 2017 Grammy win to years of sold-out arena tours. Hosting events in Dayton, Troy, and Yellow Springs underscores the band’s Ohio roots and offers fans a chance to celebrate.
Twenty One Pilots has built its reputation on genre-blurring music — fusing rock, rap, pop, and electronica — while also cultivating one of the more engaged fanbases in modern music.
The Skeleton Clique, the name of the band’s devoted fanbase, treats every release as a revelation, creating art, theories, and fan projects to amplify the band’s mystique. Listening to “Breach” as a community, the members of the Skeleton Clique can experience the album together before dissecting the lyrics and themes online.
Fans have already begun decoding cryptic clues from the band, a tradition dating back to the final shows of the “Clancy” tour. At those shows, the Fan Premiere Exhibit — a pre-show mini-museum — featured messages in Morse code. Each new release has become a puzzle, and the listening parties offer the final piece.
Whether or not Joseph and Dun make a surprise appearance — as unlikely as that may be — the events promise a taste of the new record and a reminder that one of the world’s biggest alt-pop acts hasn’t forgotten its Ohio roots.
Contact local music scene writer Brandon Berry at branberry100@gmail.com.
MORE INFO
Go online to breach.twentyonepilots.com.
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