Trench Songwriting Credits by Twenty One Pilots

Tyler Joseph wrote every song on Trench and self-produced the album alongside Paul Meany of Mutemath, who became his primary studio collaborator from this record onward. The album builds the dystopian concept narrative of Dema, a walled city ruled by nine bishops, with the protagonist Clancy attempting to escape across the surrounding region called Trench. Joseph layers his own rapping, singing, ukulele, bass, and synth work across the record while Josh Dun handles and engineers the drum parts. The storytelling here establishes the mythology that Joseph would later resolve on Clancy.