Scaled and Icy
| Twenty One PilotsScaled and Icy
Scaled and Icy is the sixth studio album by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots. The album was released on May 21, 2021, through Fueled by Ramen and Elektra. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
Show All-
NME
an expectation-crushing statement of ambition.
-
Kill Your Stereo
Twenty One Pilots’ sixth album and it’s dry, synth-heavy and shoehorned indie-pop sound is the mixiest of mixed bags and I can see it being a highly divisive record.
-
Stereogum
A few clunkers aside, Scaled And Icy maintains the knack for poppy off-kilter rock music that made the band stars in the first place. If they’ve exited their disruptive interloper phase and settled down into musical adulthood, it’s likely a good chunk of their fan base is growing up right along with them. Soon they’ll all be clinging to their children’s youth rather than wishing they could go back to their own.
-
The Guardian
genre-hoppers find their happy place.
-
Spectrum Pulse
I think this is going to be one of the most widely dismissed and misunderstood albums of 2021, and even if I would agree it’s a grower, it’s one that deserves a bigger chance.
-
The Soundboard Reviews
Scaled And Icy is the sort of album that Twenty One Pilots needed to deliver, if only to get them back on track, and with this, they’ve pretty much nailed it.
-
The Post
In a lot of ways, Scaled and Icy doesn’t feel like the same band — besides the glut of passion still making its way through and the handful of anomalies that simultaneously feel like they belong (i.e., “The Outside,” “Bounce Man”). Twenty One Pilots is happier now. All we can do now is be happy with the boys.
-
No Ripcord
Given how much effort twenty one pilots give into their presentation, it's genuinely surprising how uninteresting Scaled and Icy sounds on the surface. True, the duo's specialty is to write pop songs with mass appeal takes precedent at all costs.
-
Sputnik Music
Despite the lacking lyricism and the occasional repetitive nature of the tracks throughout the record, Scaled and Icy shows the duo embracing yet another style by showing off their versatility and dynamic approach to composition, crafting interesting, catchy, and enjoyable tracks. Is it their best? No, but it’s the best version of Twenty One Pilots in this new era and style.
-
Stereoboard
‘Scaled and Icy’ is mostly a pleasant listen, suited to soundtracking sunny afternoons spent drinking something sweet and cold outside. But, given the quality of Twenty One Pilots’ previous work, its lack of breadth makes it underwhelming in comparison. By seeking a more homogenous sound, they have jettisoned some elements of their music that truly made the band special.
-
Peanut Butter Pope
As for me, well I don’t think the shortcomings of the album are even just down to my own lack of comprehension – ‘Scaled and Icy’ is just a safe-as-safe-can-be pop rock album with such little direction that its actually headache-inducing.
-
Bring the Noise
So, Scaled and Icy is no ordinary Twenty One Pilots record. Its mostly unsuccessful pop tracks feel lazy and lethargic, but the album does succeed in other aspects. The production is spot on, and the record does contain glimpses of the Twenty One Pilots fans from across the world have fallen in love with over the last decade or so, but make no mistake, this is no classic record.
-
Kerrang!
Scaled And Icy is a good record which balances out the occasional underwhelming moment with flashes of brilliance that could only come from its creators. It’s a return to twenty one pilots’ roots, and one that, at times, demonstrates the unique songwriting flair that has been at the core of what Tyler and Josh do.
-
Gigwise
An unfocused, forgettable attempt to appeal to the masses.
-
Daily Bruin
Twenty One Pilots delivers dynamic sound, battles inauthenticity in ‘Scaled and Icy’.
-
It's All Dead
For a band who always takes their time with careful planning, Scaled and Icy is at its best, cute, and at its worst, a jumble with no rhyme or reason.
-
Spectrum Culture
Scaled and Icy can’t decide who it wants to appeal to, so the result is a disappointing and watered-down installment in the Twenty One Pilots’ canon.
-
Punktastic
Some people will only ever enjoy ‘Scaled and Icy’ for its vivacious energy and catchy choruses, but for fans that choose to embrace it for all of its hidden quirks and meanings, this is an album that will only continue to offer more with every listen. Twenty One Pilots could easily have regurgitated their last two albums, but where would be the fun in that? Unexpected, smart, and subtly ambitious, ‘Scaled and Icy’ really is everything we needed to lift us out of the darkness and we couldn’t love it more if we tried.
-
Riff Magazine
Scaled and Icy may not among the band’s best albums. But it’s a humble record, and more sonically varied than most bands can ever hope to achieve throughout their entire careers. For that, Twenty One Pilots deserve credit.
Rate This Album and Leave Your Comments