Rawfear

Album: Breach (2025)
Charted: 88
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Rawfear" is exactly what it says on the tin: fear stripped down to its rawest, most relentless form.

    Twenty One Pilots have always had a knack for turning anxiety into music you can nod, tap, and occasionally dance to - think "Stressed Out" or "Nico And The Niners" - and this track continues that proud tradition. The song treats fear as both an ever-present shadow and a relentless engine, likening it to an "empty Uzi," a weapon built for rapid fire, only here it's loaded with nothing but menace. The only option is to keep moving, hoping to outrun it before the magazine fills again.
  • Tyler Joseph wrote the song himself and co-produced it with Paul Meany, continuing their successful collaborative relationship. Meany, the lead singer of Mutemath, has been a key creative partner for Twenty One Pilots since 2017, co-producing much of their work in this era.
  • One of the most striking touches on "Rawfear" is the opening: the screams of Tyler's daughters. It's intimate, unsettling, and captures the idea that fear is inherited, immediate, and inescapable. Joseph explained: "I just went up to them and said, 'Girls, scream at me as loud as you can.' And I have a voice recording on my phone."
  • Once the drums kick in, the song shifts into a full-body experience: head-nodding, chest-thumping, yet still anxious, perfectly mirroring the theme of being propelled forward by fear itself. Stayfreeradio described it as "equal parts driving and anxious," which is as good a description as any for a band that's spent years turning dread into hooks, from the swirling tension of "Levitate" to the anxiety cleansing of "Chlorine."
  • As the second track on Twenty One Pilots' eighth album, Breach, "Rawfear" serves as a momentum builder after the ceremonial opener "Drum Show." The record continues the duo's exploration of mental health and internal conflict, propelling its narrative with an anxious intensity.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Chris Squire of Yes

Chris Squire of YesSongwriter Interviews

One of the most dynamic bass player/songwriters of his time, Chris is the only member of Yes who has been with the band since they formed in 1968.

Taylor Dayne

Taylor DayneSongwriter Interviews

Taylor talks about "The Machine" - the hits, the videos and Clive Davis.

The Police

The PoliceFact or Fiction

Do their first three albums have French titles? Is "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" really meaningless? See if you can tell in this Fact or Fiction.

Psychedelic Lyrics

Psychedelic LyricsMusic Quiz

Whoa man! Do you know which band came up with these cosmic lyrics?

Crystal Waters

Crystal WatersSongwriter Interviews

Waters tells the "Gypsy Woman" story, shares some of her songwriting insights, and explains how Dennis Rodman ended up on one of her songs.

Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Go's

Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Go'sSongwriter Interviews

Charlotte was established in the LA punk scene when a freaky girl named Belinda approached her wearing a garbage bag.