Yes, “Next Semester”’s usage as a promotional single for Clancy actually used behind-the-scenes content from the then-upcoming music video to announce it. On March 21, 2024, the band shared that the song would be released the next week in varying posts across X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

Once the single and accompanying music video were released, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun shared new pictures from the shoot on their respective Instagram accounts to promote “Next Semester”’s release (1, 2). Tyler also posted a couple photos on X (1, 2).

Additionally, the music video’s director, Andrew Donoho, shared a post on Instagram with shots and credits of as many of the people who were involved as possible—a tradition he often does with his projects. Additionally, twenty one pilots later shared another post on Instagram highlighting their appreciation for all the extras involved in the video’s underground show scenes.

On April 17, about month before Clancy’s release, the band shared a full-length behind-the-scenes video for “Next Semester.”

They promoted the video on X, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook accounts, simultaneously updating fans on the production status of the videos for the others songs on the album. Tyler had taken to X to elaborate more on those videos over the course of shooting them (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9).

At the same time as the behind-the-scenes video, Ashley Osborn, the on-set photographer, posted several shots to Instagram, many of which had already been shared on the band’s and Tyler’s accounts.

A fan noticed what is presumed to be a bug that showed the length of “Next Semester” on qobuz, leading fans to assume it would be the second promotional single to Clancy following “Overcompensate.” This finding was reshared on March 18, 2024 by X user @DiscordClique, whom twenty one pilots has interacted with personally in the past. Tyler then reshared another reshare of the post via Instagram Stories, all but confirming “Next Semester”’s status as the second single.

A couple days later, on March 21, the band shared that the song would be released the next week in varying posts across X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. The last three platforms contained a video from the song’s music video shoot.

This confirms an earlier call for extras to be used in an untitled music video, which “revolves around the band performing an intimate underground show for a dedicated group of fans.”

During the Clancy Music Videos Premiere Livestream, Tyler played a live snippet of “Next Semester” on the ukulele and then discussed the making of the song:

[In] “Next Semester,” I play the bass guitar live, but I actually wrote “Next Semester” on the ukulele. I was trying to figure out if I should play the uke live or the bass, but the bass feels right, though… What I love about that song is the last chord of the chorus… It’s one of my favorite chords I ever found on my uke; I don’t even know what it is. But somehow… it brings us back to the verse. That’s the beauty of that song for me – when you go from the chorus [to the verse]. It’s easy to go to a verse chord progression, then vary, and then take a leap to a chorus chord progression. What’s tough is to come back to the verse from your chorus. That’s the toughest part.

Josh chimed in:

There were probably like three people who tried to change the structure of that song. We took it apart and reassembled it like five or six times, heard every variation of what it could be, and Tyler and I were both like ‘This is what it needs to be.’ That was the original idea, and I’m really glad that it stayed that way.