Band: Panic! at the Disco
Album: Death of a Bachelor
Label: Fueled by Ramen, DCD2
Genre: Alternative, Pop Rock, Modern Rock
Panic! at the Disco (P!ATD) made a loud splash in the alternative scene with their new album, “Death of a Bachelor.” P!ATD, with their extremely devoted following, could do no wrong with this album, especially considering the major airtime of the album’s first single, “Hallelujah.”
Following the recent departure of drummer Spencer Smith, the band has now lost all original members except for frontman Brendon Urie. Some bitter fans have even resorted to referring to the group as the “Brendon Urie Project;” the restructuring has left Urie as the only official member of the band, demoting the other members to just “touring members.” In fact, Urie recorded all the instruments on this album himself.
Disregarding the recent drama of the band, the new album is a strange mix of genres and influences. This has always been a calling card of the band, though, and it has been hit-or-miss in the past. P!ATD’s previous album, “Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!,” was very strong. “Death of a Bachelor” just doesn’t pack the same punch as the last album did.
“Death of a Bachelor” begins with the exciting “Victorious,” a song filled with reminiscent references of the 80s. This seems to be a common theme throughout the album, which is strange because most of the band’s fan base will miss these references (the majority being born in the mid to late 90s). What fans of P!ATD knew what Urie was talking about when he sings, “skin as cool as Steve McQueen?” And no, that’s not the racecar from classic Disney movie “Cars.” “Victorious” is the band’s obligatory fight song with an easy-to-learn chant in the chorus, designed for large venues and live performances.
The following song, “Don’t Threaten Me with a Good Time,” samples the iconic riff from The B-52’s “Rock Lobster,” following in the footsteps of their “big brother band” Fall Out Boy and their hit “Uma Thurman.” This song is full of clichéd lyrics that are expected but still catchy. If one listens to this song with a critical ear, they can’t help but roll their eyes at the typical lyrics of Brendon Urie. Despite all of this, this is one of the stronger songs on the album. The reason behind this may be due to the catchy guitar part, which earns P!ATD no bonus points.
The two strongest songs on this album are the breakout single “Hallelujah” and the titular track “Death of a Bachelor,” both of which have very distinct sounds. “Hallelujah,” which you have most certainly heard by now if you listen to any alternative rock radio stations, has a very unique and cool church choir vibe to it. This song is definitely the catchiest and poppiest song on the album. The titular track, “Death of a Bachelor,” is a throwback to traditional pop, specifically the smooth-voiced Frank Sinatra (a heavy influence on the singer’s style). I will say that Urie is one of very few voices in music today that can pull off the Sinatra vibe of traditional pop. Of course, Urie puts a modern twist on the song that showcases his songwriting and vocal talents. These two songs are both a pleasure to listen to and will have you jamming out in your car and singing at the top of your lungs. If you like this traditional pop style of Urie, give a listen to the more honest homage to Sinatra in the track “Impossible Year.”
Really, out of the rest of the songs on the album, only “Emperor’s New Clothes” is worth mentioning. It is a typical P!ATD song, full of theatrics and strange noises that one can only expect in a Brendon Urie song. It’s a very cool song to listen to, but not one you can easily sing along to. This whole song is something you can only experience, not participate in.
Overall, this album is not great. Personally, I enjoyed the last album much more. This album feels like Urie stuck all the strongest songs on the front part of the album, making “Death of a Bachelor” open up with a very strong and catchy vibe. The downside to this is that I find myself constantly starting the album over after I get through the first few songs. The songs in the album that I haven’t mentioned in this review are just not even worth talking about. They seem like filler. I believe that this is a weaker album than the previous one and that P!ATD is actually suffering at the hands of being solely operated by Brendon Urie.
Score: 3.5/5