NOTEWRTHY: End! of the Disco

Welcome back to NOTEWRTHY, the number one spot for random music posts.

Today, let’s talk about the end of a band that finally came to pass, even though it’s only been run by one guy since 2009. That’s right, let’s talk about emo sensation turned pop/emo(?) nightmare, Panic! at the Disco.

For those of you that don’t know, pop/emo band Panic! at the Disco announced that they’d be splitting up; an interesting choice of words considering there was only one original, consistent member left. Regardless, they posted on their social media earlier this week that the band is no more. No more albums, no more tours, no nothing. Brendon Urie, Panic!’s frontman and the aforementioned remaining member, cited his wife’s pregnancy as the main reason for the band’s end and that he is ready to move on with his life.

This announcement was met with very mixed reviews, from both fans and haters alike. Many see this as a good thing because it will allow Urie to focus on his family — his first smart decision in years — while others lament the loss of a major influence of the 2000’s. Especially after the band’s 2022 release, Viva Las Vengeance, many people, myself included, are not upset at their retirement, while others are upset that that was the last project we ever will get from them. Personally, I feel like Urie should have left the music industry after Pray For The Wicked (2018), because then at least he would’ve gone out with a decent last album.

But let’s not focus on all the bad stuff, let’s talk about some of the highlights of this band and the reasons I became a fan of theirs in the first place.

For all the mistakes Brendon Urie made, he did manage to release some good music by himself, for example, Death of a Bachelor (2016). As some of you may or may not know, I absolutely adore Death of a Bachelor. The album helped 14-year-old me through a very rough emotional time in my life and was the first album I ever bought for myself on iTunes. Even before I bought the album, the first track, “Victorious,” was a song that I loved and listened to often. Upon listening to the entire album, I realized that this album was so much more than the first track set it up to be. The album is full of emotions and has amazing production to match it. With tracks like “LA Devotee” and “Emperor’s New Clothes,” it’s hard not to jam out to most, if not all of this album. While most of the album is a high-energy event, the final track takes a sharp right turn from that. “Impossible Year” wraps up the album as most final songs on a P!ATD album do, by leaving us with a slow and emotion-filled track. In this context, the album serves as a reality check for the carefree, eccentric nature of the majority of this work. With lyrics like “These nightmares always hang on past the dream,” it’s hard not to see this song as the foil to the rest of the project, and the jump back to real life from the party-filled nature of the preceding songs. Overall, the album is really good, with a lot of high-energy songs to it that will make anyone want to dance at least a little bit.

I also want to cover one more project by Panic! that deserves some attention; the last album most older fans consider good, 2011’s Vices & Virtues. As the first album post-departure of Ryan Ross, Urie really had to take the creative reigns on this one, and he really didn’t disappoint. Clocking in at 37 minutes and 30 seconds, this 10-song album has a dark but plunky sound that works very well. Contrasting more intense songs like the opening track “The Ballad of Mona Lisa,” we have slower, more gentle songs like “Sarah Smiles.” The album overall is very well-balanced with itself and has some amazing vocals from Urie once again, along with some absolutely killer drums and guitar riffs. While I don’t have nearly as much to say about this album as I did with the previous one, don’t take that as me not enjoying this project as much. In all honesty, these two albums could both easily be my favorite Panic! At The Disco album depending on my mood. Both of these projects are a great overall and 100% worth your time to listen to them.

Anyways, that’s all I wanted to talk about today. Have a great week everyone, and I’ll see you all next time.

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