Let's be real, 2020 was a tough time for everyone. I'm glad music gave me the strength to get through the pandemic and all that came with it, and I'm especially grateful to the artists and musicians that continued to make music during that time, whether as their own escape or because they knew that the world needed it. There were a lot of songs that I held on to dearly to tide me through those times, and there are more than a handful that remain special after all this time, but Level of Concern arguably takes the trophy in this department. This pop rock tune, full of optimistic tones and subtle pessimism, managed to encapsulate a lot of the uncertainty and instability of life in the face of a worldwide crisis while remaining hopeful.
Twenty One Pilots is not a stranger to the pop world, and most of people should be familiar with their big hits. But even if you aren't a huge fan that's heard their sound evolve since Vessel, it's not hard to realise that Level of Concern has a bit of a different sound to everything they've previously done. With hindsight, it's easy to say that this song and Scaled And Icy sound quite similar, but at the time it felt like an intentional shift in sound for them to reflect the situation we were in.
The themes of quarantine and isolation are evident throughout the lyrics, and it made the song so much more relatable and connected with the listener more when it came out. The chorus line "tell me we're alright, tell me we're okay" reflected a very common sentiment that many people had, being stuck in lockdown. For many, this song was therapeutic and cathartic, me included. The emotional clarity it brought to me in a time where I had no idea what to feel was really important for me.
It's really hard for me to be objective about this song when a majority of its significance to me was what it represented in sentiment, and music is already subjective enough to begin with. That said, as a song it's pretty solid overall. It might not be a standout pop hit but there's absolutely nothing to complain about with the writing. Twenty One Pilots is a two-man band who have gotten as far as they have with their clear musical talent and effort, and this song is no exception.
Level of Concern is still and likely will remain a musical landmark of the early pandemic years for me, but I think that's okay. It still makes me happy to hear this song even though 2020 is behind us, and how much hope it gave me in dark times. There is absolutely nothing new about the fact that the songs I'm sentimental about are near perfect in my eyes, so get used to it.
Rating: 4.5/5