Recommended Tracks: “King Of The Clouds”, “Hey Look Ma, I Made It”, “High Hopes”, “One Of The Drunks”
Artists You May Like: Fall Out Boy, Paramore, Twenty One Pilots
Panic! At The Disco is back in the game with their sixth studio album, “Pray For The Wicked”. Over the years, Panic! has been through a lot – between losing, gaining, and losing more members, the band is now just a one-man show with frontman Brendon Urie as the only official member. Brendon, talented singer and multi-instrumentalist, really does it all; he wrote and recorded nearly every part of this album by himself. He truly put his heart and soul into the creation of “Pray For The Wicked”, and I think that shines through in a lot of the lyrics and themes on the eleven-track LP. This is a very impressive project for one person to execute alone.
Released on Friday, June 22nd, “Pray For The Wicked” relieved so many eager fans of anticipation and nerves. Panic! has quite the dedicated following, so to say that fans were anxiously awaiting this new album is an understatement. But luckily, it seems like fans are satisfied so far!
Brendon recently spent a full summer starring in the musical “Kinky Boots” on Broadway, and this album shows how much it must have influenced him. This album has a very Broadway feel with lots of horns, some violin, and loud, anthemic vocals throughout. You can tell that Brendon created this album with the idea of performing in mind; these songs were made to be played live.
Before the album came out, Panic! released four singles, “(F*** A) Silver Lining”, “Say Amen (Saturday Night)”, “High Hopes”, and “King Of The Clouds”. I think these tracks built a good backbone for the album, giving a good preview of what we should expect from it. I, along with many fans, really enjoyed the four singles, as “High Hopes” and “King Of The Clouds” are two of my favorites from the whole project.
Two other songs that really stood out for me are “Hey Look Ma, I Made It” and “One Of The Drunks”. “Hey Look Ma, I Made It” is super upbeat and will surely get you dancing – there are lots of horns and infectious beats that really get you groovin’. It’s all about Brendon’s life of hard work and how it paid off… because he made it! You can check out the music video for this song on YouTube. “One Of The Drunks” reminds me of something that would be on Panic!’s fourth studio album, “Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die!”, as it’s more mellow with synth-beats and deeper, calmer vocals. This song takes an interesting stance on the party scene and all of it’s affects on Brendon.
Closing track, “Dying In LA”, reminds me of “Impossible Year” off of previous album “Death Of A Bachelor”. It’s just vocals and piano – very serene, yet sort of heartbreaking. It really showcases Brendon’s vocal talent as he speaks on the circle of life in Los Angeles. I found it perfect for bringing the album to a close.
Overall, I think “Pray For The Wicked” is a very different, experimental record that’s perfect to blast through the summer and dance along to. Panic! At The Disco hasn’t ever done something like this before, so I find the new style very interesting and refreshing. These songs really showcase Brendon’s talent and his passion for music and what comes along with it. I highly recommend you give this album a listen!
Catch Panic! At The Disco on the “Pray For the Wicked” Tour this summer!
You can stream “Pray For The Wicked” on Spotify and Apple Music.
You can purchase it via the band’s website here.
Keep up with Panic! on their Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
