A Review of “Death of a Bachelor” by Panic! At the Disco

Lexi Marcellino, Copy Editor • 50 Views

January 17, 2016

Official album cover for Panic! at the Disco’s “Death of a Bachelor.” It received a score of 65 out of 100 on Metacritic.

It has been over 10 years since Panic! At the Disco released its first studio album, appealing to fans of the early 2000s punk scene with “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out.” Since then, the band has abandoned its original trademark style consisting of eyeliner, fohawks, and fedoras. It has also shed all of its original members, except for frontman Brendon Urie. To say the least, this has left room for change, and the band has delivered that with each album.

On Jan. 15, Panic! At the Disco dropped its latest album “Death of a Bachelor.” This release is the first that Urie has created without fellow founder Spencer Smith, who left the band after 2013’s “Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!” Urie’s new album holds a different sound from anything that the band has done before.

Taking inspiration from legends such as Queen and Frank Sinatra, the record enlists a section of horns on almost every track, mixing both punk rock and swing music; it works for some songs. Others, however, are overtaken by the instrument which overpowers Urie’s vocals. The album is saved by tracks that have already made a big impact through radio play, like the catchy “Hallelujah” and “Don’t Threaten Me With a Good Time,” which also just happens to use the infamous guitar riff from B-52s’ “Rock Lobster.”

The song that established Urie’s homage to Sinatra was the ballad “Impossible Year.” This song is one of the best on the album although it differs from the fast hardball rock that defines the rest of it. Urie does have a voice made for slower songs like this, and it fares better than more upbeat tracks that have too much going on. Most upbeat tracks fail to be able to acknowledge the wide range that has defined Urie’s vocal performance since 2005.

Overall, “Death of a Bachelor” is good. It contains numerous singles with catchy choruses that ensure an insane amount of radio play over the next few weeks, but it does not live up to the expectations set by Panic! At the Disco’s previous albums.

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About the Contributor

Lexi Marcellino, Head Copy Editor

Communications senior Lexi Marcellino is a third-year staffer and the Head Copy Editor on The Muse. She has a passion for news writing and grammar, and has dedicated most of her free time and late nights to journalism. In addition to being involved in The Muse, Marcellino also has a passion for creative writing and working with Teens Against Domestic Abuse, a club she co-founded with other students. Outside of school, one can find her taking advantage of Panera’s free wifi and cradling a cup of coffee. Marcellino has spent the last two summers learning more about publishing and journalism. In 2015, she interned in the graphics department of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's office, and the following year she became an alumna of the Washington Journalism and Media Conference, where she worked with student journalists from around the world, as well as esteemed figures such as National Geographic Editor-In-Chief Susan Goldberg and Photojournalist Carol Guzy. She is also the recipient of a Scholastic Art and Writing award, as well as two Palm Beach Post awards. In the future, Marcellino hopes to pursue investigative and political journalism, and move to Washington D.C. to work on a large publication.