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Shy Away

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"Shy Away"
Single by Twenty One Pilots
from the album Scaled and Icy
ReleasedApril 7, 2021 (2021-04-07)
Genre
Length2:55
LabelFueled by Ramen
Songwriter(s)Tyler Joseph
Producer(s)Tyler Joseph
Twenty One Pilots singles chronology
"Christmas Saves the Year"
(2020) 		"Shy Away"
(2021) 		"Choker"
(2021)

"Shy Away" is a song written and recorded by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots. It was released on April 7, 2021, through Fueled by Ramen, as the lead single from their upcoming sixth studio album, Scaled and Icy. A music video was released alongside the single, directed by Miles Cable and AJ Favicchio.

Background

In an interview with BBC Radio 1, Twenty One Pilots revealed "Shy Away initially began as a "tutorial" on the way to operate a recording studio.[1] Tyler Joseph explained how the song was inspired with the help of his younger brother and one-year-old daughter Rosie.[2][1] Joseph said he created the song for his younger brother after asking him how to go about writing and producing a record. He recalled, "I just thought, OK, let me start from scratch. And I came up with the beginnings of the song almost as a tutorial for him, on how to lay out a song."[1] Joseph's lyrics became a letter of advice to his brother as he continued to work on the song. He said, "The only thing tougher than trying to figure out what your own purpose is, is watching someone whom you love trying to figure out their purpose. So that's what the song is — trying to just give that person that boost of encouragement and pushing them forward."[1] 

"Shy Away" was more upbeat and optimistic compared to the music of their previous album Trench, which dealt with themes of doubt, mental health and suicide.[1] Joseph imparted that at the time he had come to be in a more positive headspace. He said, "As you move about your life, you start to answer more and more of the questions you had when you were younger. The truth is, I have found some answers."[1]

Recording

Similar to their fifth studio album Trench, their sixth album Scaled and Icy was written and "largely" produced by Tyler Joseph.[3] For the most part, the album was crafted while Joseph and Josh Dun were in their respective homes in Covid-19 lockdown.[4] During the course of the coronavirus pandemic, drummer Josh Dun was situated in Los Angeles, California and virtually sent over his drum material.[3] They collaborated virtually on the album, with Joseph writing and producing in his home while Dun handled the recording and engineering of his drum takes on the other side of the country.[4] “Shy Away” demonstrated a new sound for Twenty One Pilots, with their music relying on retro aesthetics.[5] For the upbeat track, they adopted a synth-pop sound that incorporates a synthesizer while maintaining a few of their musical techniques.[4][1]

In an interview with BBC Radio 1, Tyler Joseph said that he created the song for his younger brother.[1] It was revealed that "Shy Away initially began as a "tutorial" for his younger brother on the way to operate a recording studio.[1] Another family connection within the song's music came in the form of Rosie, the one-year-old daughter of Tyler Joseph. Though her contribution to the track was unintentional, she appears in its opening seconds.[1] According to Joseph, "You'll hear this little baby cooing noise and it's actually because, when I was first working on the song, she was in the room with me."[1] Rosie made a noise in the background while he was singing the vocal ideas into his phone, which at first immediately caused Joseph to think she had just ruined the recording. He continued saying, "But when I transferred it over to my rig in my studio and I was working on that audio file, I found myself loving that she had been in some way a part of that creative process - and I actually kept her noise in the beginning of that song."[1]

Composition

"Shy Away" is an an upbeat synth-pop song that runs for a duration of two minutes and fifty-five seconds.[6][4] The track retains a propulsive sound driven by a bouncy synth riff and features some alternative rock techniques.[4][6][1] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Alfred Publishing Co., Inc, the song is written in the time signature of common time, with a quick, bright rock tempo of 194 beats per minute.[7][8] "Shy Away" is composed in the key of C Major while Tyler Joseph's vocal range spans from the low-note of G4 to the high-note A5.[8] The song has a basic sequence of Fmaj7–Am–G–Em–C–G/B in the verses and pre-chorus and follows F–Dm–Am–G/B–G at the refrain as its chord progression.[8]

The musical arrangement opens with Joseph's one-year-old daughter Rosie appearing to make a baby cooing noise in the background.[1] It includes a short half-time breakdown during the bridge.[4]

Lyrically, "Shy Away" serves as an optimistic letter of advice to Tyler Joseph's brother. The song is about the attempt to simply give someone encouragement and push themselves forward to figure out what their purpose is.[1]  

Release and promotion

"Shy Away" officially marked the first single release from the upcoming Scaled And Icy, their first studio album in almost three years.[6][4] Twenty One Pilots released "Shy Away" as the lead single ahead of their album alongside a new music video.[3]

The duo premiered "Shy Away" on BBC Radio 1 with host Jack Saunders on April 7, 2021.[6] Tyler Joseph joined Saunders, who was substituting for host Annie Mac, for the world premiere of his band's new single.[2] A few minutes prior to the debut, Sauders went on social media to share when the first listening of the track was airing.[6] It was followed shortly after by the official release on streaming platforms, and Twenty One Pilots took to their own accounts to announce the album.[6] They also announced details of their upcoming sixth studio album, including the track listing and revelations of a global livestream event.[3]

Critical reception

Rolling Stone writer Claire Shaffer remaked, "'Shy Away' finds the duo embracing a propulsive synth-pop sound that still features a few alt-rock tricks (including a brief but tasteful half-time breakdown during the bridge for the hardcore kids)."[4] Kerrang!'s Emily Carter called the song an "awesome lead single."[3] Describing it as an "upbeat track," Rachel Campbell of Alternative Press stated that "... 'Shy Away' kicks off a new chapter for the band."[6] 

Commercial performance

Within only two days of tracking, "Shy Away" made its debut at No. 20 on the US Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, and has so far peaked at No. 7.[9] On the Alternative Airplay and Rock Airplay chart, the song peaked at No. 1. In its first full week of tracking, it reached No. 56 in both the United Kingdom and Ireland,[10][11] and peaked at No. 36 in Lithuania.[12] On the chart dated April 24, 2021, the song made its debut on the US Billboard Hot 100 at No. 87.

"Shy Away" was deemed as BBC Radio 1's Hottest Record.[1]   

Music video

The single release of "Shy Away" arrived alongside an accompanying music video directed by Miles & AJ.[3][4] Much like the song itself, the music video for "Shy Away" relies on retro aesthetics.[5] In the video, Twenty One Pilots perform the song in different abstract, neon-lit set pieces.[4] The music video introduces a vibrant new era for twenty one pilots, who are awash in neon while featuring their new colors of light blue, pink and yellow.[6]  As the duo play throughout, the video also references their trademark ski masks that were prominent in both the eras for their albums Vessel and Blurryface.[6] At one point, they appear alongside duplicate versions of themselves wearing the decayed ski masks.[4]

Reception

Kerrang!'s Emily Carter described the music video for "Shy Away" as being "shiny."[3] Rachel Campbell of Alternative Press stated, "the video introduces a vibrant new era for twenty one pilots."[6]

Charts

Chart performance for "Shy Away"
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[13] 57
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[14] 14
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[15] 67
Czech Republic (Rádio – Top 100)[16] 58
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[17] 35
Global 200 (Billboard)[18] 73
Hungary (Stream Top 40)[19] 32
Ireland (IRMA)[11] 56
Lithuania (AGATA)[12] 36
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[20] 9
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[21] 38
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[22] 11
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 90
UK Singles (OCC)[10] 56
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[24] 1
US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[25] 39
US Billboard Hot 100[26] 87
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[9] 7
US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[27] 1

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Savage, Mark (April 7, 2021). "Twenty One Pilots Spill the Beans on Their 'Colourful' New Single, Shy Away". BBC Online. BBC. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
  2. ^ a b "BBC Radio 1 - Radio 1's Future Sounds with Annie Mac, twenty one pilots Hottest Record & Interview". BBC Online. BBC. April 7, 2021. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Carter, Emily (April 7, 2021). "twenty one pilots Drop New Single Shy Away, Announce Upcoming Album Scaled And Icy". Kerrang!. Wasted Talent Ltd. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Shaffer, Claire (April 7, 2021). "Twenty One Pilots Preview New Album 'Scaled and Icy' With First Single 'Shy Away'". Rolling Stone. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
  5. ^ a b Aiex, Tony (April 7, 2021). "Twenty One Pilots Plunges Into Indie, Launches Unprecedented "Shy Away" and Announces New Album". Tenho Mais Discos Que Amigos!. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Campbell, Rachel (April 7, 2021). "twenty one pilots Kick Off 'Scaled And Icy' Era with "Shy Away"—Watch". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
  7. ^ Joseph, Tyler. "Twenty One Pilots "Shy Away" Sheet Music in C Major". Musicnotes.com. Alfred Publishing Co., Inc. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Joseph, Tyler. "Twenty One Pilots "Shy Away" Sheet Music in C Major". Musicnotes.com. Alfred Publishing Co., Inc. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  10. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  11. ^ a b "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  12. ^ a b "2021 15-os SAVAITĖS (balandžio 9-15 d.) SINGLŲ TOP100" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. April 16, 2021. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  13. ^ "Twenty One Pilots – Shy Away" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  14. ^ "Twenty One Pilots – Shy Away" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  15. ^ "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  16. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 16. týden 2021 in the date selector. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  17. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 15. týden 2021 in the date selector.
  18. ^ "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  19. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Stream Top 40 slágerlista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
  20. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. May 3, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  21. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 202115 into search. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  22. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 15". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  23. ^ "Twenty One Pilots – Shy Away". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  24. ^ "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  25. ^ "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  26. ^ "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  27. ^ "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
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