In a year already brimming with milestones, Twenty One Pilots are proving that their creative momentum is far from slowing down. The GRAMMY-winning alt-rock powerhouses, beloved for their genre-bending soundscapes and immersive storytelling, have announced their long-anticipated eighth studio album, ‘Breach,’ slated to drop in September 2025. As a thrilling taste of what’s to come, the dynamic duo just dropped the first single, “The Contract,” and it’s everything longtime fans hoped for and more.
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Stream: “The Contract” – Twenty One Pilots
Coming off a career-defining high, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun have had quite the 2025 already.
Between sweeping major wins at the American Music Awards (Favorite Rock Album and Favorite Rock Artist) and marking the 10-year anniversary of their genre-redefining album Blurryface, Twenty One Pilots are reminding the world exactly why they’re considered modern rock icons. And with “The Contract,” they’re not just revisiting old glories, they’re hurtling into a bold new chapter.
I check the doors, check the windows, and pull the blinds,
I check the clock, wondering what he’ll pull this time,
I have a feeling that necromancer’s outside,
And I’m just trying to stay quiet.
I don’t sleep much, that’s crazy, how’d you know that?
Keep myself up, that’s maybe how you know that,
Promises and contracts I used to keep,
I don’t sleep much, that’s crazy, how’d you know that?
Keep myself up, that’s maybe how you know that,
My hallucination I used to see.
Released June 12 via Fueled By Ramen, “The Contract” is quintessential Twenty One Pilots, yet strikingly evolved. Co-written by Joseph alongside Paul Meany (Mutemath), genre-shaker Yungblud, and veteran producer Matt Schwartz, the track delivers layered production, experimental edge, and emotional rawness all at once. Meany, who’s long been a close collaborator of the band, shares producing credits with Joseph on this single, and their synergy shows. From eerie synth flourishes to thunderous percussive builds, every second of “The Contract” pulses with purpose.
Tyler Joseph’s vocals are a study in duality, moving from introspective murmurs to full-throttle catharsis. Lyrically, the song walks a tightrope between submission and rebellion, echoing the band’s long-standing themes of inner conflict and identity. There’s a haunting urgency in lines like “now I plead, just take the deal / I promised you a contract,” capturing a sense of entrapment that feels both personal and metaphorical. The track seems to pick up right where their last musical universe left off, but with higher stakes and darker undertones.
Wake up and I find out, did a change up,
Wait — Did it change up?
Is it light out yet?
Better find out. Bet,
Imma walk around the edge of the room,
And the bed where I hide my face,
Pace around,
Better try to breathe,
Pace around, Pace around.
(Sleep I found)
I wanna get out there,
But I don’t try,
I wanna get out there,
But I don’t try.
I used to see, it felt so real,
But now I plead,
Just take the deal,
I promised you a contract
Complementing the sonic drama is the surreal, cinematic music video directed by Frédéric De Pontcharra.
Fans of the band’s intricate lore will be thrilled; this is a direct continuation of the narrative first explored in “Paladin Strait.” As Joseph and Dun perform amid a nightmarish landscape of glowing-eyed creatures, there’s a palpable tension that crescendos when Dun solemnly hands Joseph a uniform. The image, mirrored on the Breach album cover, feels significant, symbolic, and slightly foreboding. It’s pure Twenty One Pilots: Cryptic, emotionally resonant, and steeped in mythos.
That visual symbolism isn’t accidental. With Breach, Twenty One Pilots are not abandoning their past, but rather reshaping it. It’s a fitting move in a year when Blurryface, the band’s breakout juggernaut, celebrates a decade of impact. That album changed the course of alternative music, becoming the first in history to earn a Gold or Platinum certification for every track. Its success (over 15 billion streams and counting) was more than commercial; it was cultural.
And yet, “The Contract” doesn’t coast on nostalgia. Instead, it channels the fearless spirit that made Blurryface iconic, while delving into more complex emotional terrain. The songwriting is sharper, the production more textured, and the narrative stakes more cinematic than ever. If this single is any indication, Breach promises to be one of the band’s most ambitious projects to date.
“The Contract” goes beyond the bounds of a typical lead single; it’s a bold statement of intent.
Acting as the prologue to what promises to be another pivotal era for Twenty One Pilots, the track balances haunting intensity with flickers of hope, merging signature sounds with daring new textures. It’s a striking example of how a band can grow artistically while staying true to its essence. For longtime fans, it’s a gripping return to a familiar yet evolving universe. For first-time listeners, it’s an undeniably compelling invitation into their world.
With Breach on the horizon, and “The Contract” setting the stage, Twenty One Pilots have made one thing clear: the signatures are on the line, and the future is theirs.
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:: stream/purchase The Contract here ::
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:: pre-save/preorder Breach here ::
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Stream: “The Contract” – Twenty One Pilots
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© Fabien Kruszelnicki
© Fabien Kruszelnicki
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