Okay, I know this album has been out for a year, but I’ve been meaning to write this article, so can we just talk about it for a second? Panic! At the Disco is one of the most consistent bands, if you ask me. Sure, they’ve gone from baroque pop/emo to pop/rock in a matter of 11 years, and lost some band members along the way, but every album they’ve released has had at least two to three hits that keep fans hooked (and in love with Brendon Urie). Of their five studio albums, Death of a Bachelor takes the cake though and here’s why:
1. “Golden Days”
Need I say more? This song is truly a hidden gem. I know it may be a classic sleeper; it gets no radio play and they haven’t released a music video for it, so naturally songs like “Victorious” and “Hallelujah” overshadow it, but you can’t help but get excited when you hear those first lyrics on top of that electric guitar beat. It’s one of those songs you can’t not start tapping your foot and jamming out to.
2. Brendon Urie’s comeback
If you listen to this album all the way through, it sounds like a resurrection. Even though Panic! at the Disco has consistently released albums every three years since 2005, there's no denying that “Emperor’s New Clothes” sounds like a revival and a redirection toward a new, different sound. Just the opening lyrics, “Welcome to the end of eras/Ice has melted back to life/Done my time and served my sentence” allude to Urie closing the door on one chapter of his life. Being the only remaining original band member, Urie probably feels that he can focus his creative energy on his own musical goals. Though it appears Urie holds no ill will toward his former bandmates, this whole album is an ode to Urie’s newfound freedom and it seems he’s confident that he will come out on top. We’ve already had a taste of Urie’s desire for victory and power in “Victorious,” but the chorus of “Emperor’s New Clothes” drives that point home, with the lyrics “I’m taking back the crown/I’m all dressed up and naked/I see what’s mine and take it.”
3. The L.A complex
“LA Devotee” is without a doubt one of the best songs on this album, but not just because it makes you want to get up and dance. Urie paints a picture of a city that draws you in from the Midwest with the hope of fame and success, but the song repeats the word “black” seven times, perhaps signifying that L.A can suck the soul out of you if you let it. The song is a conundrum, of sorts, because it makes you feel like just another person with a dream, trying to make it work in Los Angeles, even though your dream is killing you inside, but the message comes across in the most upbeat and fun way possible. Then, this song is directly followed by “Golden Days,” which is not necessarily about L.A, but the references to Farrah Fawcett and Bianca Jagger in the 1970s certainly give it that type of feel. I think it’s interesting that the album producers chose to precede “Golden Days” which reminisces on...well, the golden days of celebrities in Hollywood, with a song that almost acts like a warning for anyone considering moving to L.A that they’ll eventually burn out and fail. Another reason this album is so beautifully compiled is because the chorus of “L.A Devotee” says “Always on the hunt for a little more time” and then “Golden Days” is about the clock turning and time passing and how the memories will be preserved. It’s almost like Urie is trying to tell his audience to put their energies into something worthwhile before their time is up.
Each song on this album has so much energy and passion behind it that no song is skip worthy. Brendon Urie has always been a vocal powerhouse, but his vocals have never sounded so crisp, clear and powerful as they do in Death of a Bachelor. If you haven’t given this album a listen yet, I strongly suggest that you do because Panic! At the Disco has come a long way from guyliner and chiming in on weddings.
