The most recent album from Panic! at the Disco is entitled, “Death of a Bachelor.” It is their fifth studio album, and the first one to reach #1 on the Billboard 200 best-selling charts. But there is also a unique factor about this particular album. The band that started out as four is now only made up of one original existing member, lead singer Brendon Urie. The entire album is Urie’s showcase for not only his remarkable vocals, but also his lyrics, which are apparent through most of the songs that are like personal stories, including “House of Memories” and “Impossible Year,” along with a few crowd chant worthy ones, “Victorious” and “Hallelujah.”
Below is a track-by-track review of Panic!’s “Death of a Bachelor.”
- “Victorious” 7/10 ★
You just know that this one is going to be a hit at all sports arenas sometime soon if it hasn’t already. Urie’s lyrics are hard hitting, like “my touch is black and poisonous,” giving the otherwise hyped up song a darker side.
- “Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time” 8/10 ★
Borrowing a sample from the B-52’s original eccentric song, “Rock Lobster,” Panic!’s “night after a blackout” scenario has a beat that will make you as the listener believe you were there experiencing it alongside Urie.
- “Hallelujah” 6/10 ★
The first single off of the album from last year definitely makes a statement. From proclaiming in the chorus, “All you sinners stand up, sing hallelujah!” Urie comments on his own spirituality along with reminiscing about his sins from younger years and coming to terms with his mistakes.
- “Emperor’s New Clothes” 7/10 ★
This haunting song is Urie’s claim to the sole direction of the band with lyrics like, “Finders keepers, losers weepers.” A great song to help with a personal comeback from anything. (Note: If you watch the video, it really adds on to the existing evil tone of the song.)
- “Death Of A Bachelor” 8/10 ★
The title track of the album is the perfect mix of pop and jazz beats for Urie to show off his singing chops adding in a sultry vibe to them, but still keeping the song going at a good pace. This song about the end of a bachelor’s former life before settling down will make you feel anything but grief.
- “Crazy=Genius” 6.5/10 ★
With a big band sound and references to The Beach Boys in this song, Urie really tries to go off the artistic deep end with his “crazy” by declaring that his insanity brought him to this point of genius. It’s not crazy enough.
- “LA Devotee” 7/10 ★
This pop based tune has Urie thinking about a California girl that has her soul attached to the high life of L.A. He justifies her unimportance of trying to become a famous face in the big city by calling her “just another LA devotee.”
- “Golden Days” 7.5/10 ★
Steeped in nostalgic lyrics, Urie sings about times that were forgotten, but have been brought back as the best memories ever had. It’s rock mixed with a little bit of funk, and has a chorus that was made to be screamed at the top of your lungs four times in a row.
- “The Good, The Bad And The Dirty” 8/10 ★
Urie reflects on how much tougher he’s become even with all of the loss as a group. The “come at me bro” attitude in this song has sparring words that match up to the rhythm that accompanies it well.
- “House of Memories” 8/10 ★
The fear of ruining a current relationship with the best memories of a past one is relatable to everyone, and Urie sings it here as a hauntingly mournful ode to the person who won’t leave his thoughts and begs to not be forgotten by her.
- “Impossible Year” 7.5/10 ★
On this heavily-inspired Frank Sinatra song, Brendon Urie belts out his longest and velvety smooth notes in a way that is perfect to close the album with a much more mellow melody than the beginning one. And even though the lyrics are gloomy and doomy, it instills a kind of melancholy that is serene all at the same time.
Overall Album Rating: 7/10 ★
The album rides for the majority on the coattails of the past and its memories, both good and bad, yet that theme seems to work here. While it would definitely attract the older fans of Panic! with the references to Urie’s favorite artists, it could lose some of the younger ones with what it is he’s talking about exactly. They have Google, they can figure it out through there. But that doesn’t take away from the great music that Brendon Urie has created all on his own here proving that the “Death of a Bachelor” isn’t always a bad thing if it means getting songs like these out into the atmosphere.
Photos taken by Kerrang! and DCD2/Fueled By Ramen
