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Back in 2004, Panic! At The Disco was made up of four best friends from Nevada. Now 12 (twelve!) years later, Brendon Urie is the only one who remains. On January 15, Urie released an album under the Panic! name. He created the entire thing himself. He plays every instrument on every track. The new album is titled Death of a Bachelor, and it makes our hearts panic just a little bit.
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1.Victorious
The opening song is very classic Panic! It is an upbeat, storytelling song. It creates the mood for the whole album by stating that “tonight we are victorious.” The song is definitely one of the more pop-vibed songs on the track list. However, it has a hint of the original Panic! that many of us miss after all of these years.
Favorite Lyrics: “Double bubble disco queen headed to the guillotine.” This song exudes fun and the joy of dancing. These lyrics reflect that.
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2. Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time
This song begins with a very James Bond-esque intro. It also seems to be the inspiration for the album art. It talks about a raging party that is so crazy that he wakes up by his neighbor’s pool with an upside-down view. This song bounces off the walls, and if you analyze the lyrics you’ll probably end up laughing because of just how ridiculous they are.
Favorite Lyrics: “I’m a scholar and a gentleman, and I don’t usually fall when I try to stand.” Like I said, analyze these lyrics and you’re bound to let out a giggle or two.
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3. Hallelujah
This song tributes his fans. Since I Write Sins Not Tragedies, many people have taken to calling Panic! At The Disco fans Sinners. In this song he tells all of the Sinners to “stand up and sing Hallelujah”. I see this as his way of achnowledging all the fans who have stuck with him from the beginning. This song embodies a calmer beat than the two that precede it. It also has that pop-vibewith a hint of punk that most people associate with Panic!
Favorite Lyrics: “My life started the day I got caught, under the covers with secondhand lovers.” Brendon is trying to tell people he made a mistake, but he’s coming back from it.
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4. Emperor’s New Clothes
Okay stop. If you haven’t watched this music video, you need to do it now. Here’s the link. Done? Good. Now let me explain a couple things. This video is a sequel to the music video for This is Gospel and basically, Brendon goes to hell and transforms into a demon. When you listen to the lyrics, this is all just for visual storytelling, and it has nothing to do with the actual song.
Favorite Lyrics: “I’m taking back the crown. I’m all dressed up and naked.” This lyric is trying to play at how vulnerable we are as human beings, and that may be where Urie got the idea of the juxtaposition between an immortal demon and a mortal human.
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5. Death Of A Bachelor
The title track has an almost cabaret feel, and the music video plays on that. It’s a pretty slow and melodious tune considering it follows such a fast, vibrant song. Urie wanted to give listeners the chance to relax midway through the album. Near the end, the sonf transitions to an electronic portion that contrasts with the old-time sound perfectly.
Favorite Lyrics: “Alone at a table for two, and I just wanna be served.” These lyrics speak to me because they convey real emotion we all experience.
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6. Crazy = Genius
This is by far my favorite track on the entire album. It may be the 20’s swinger beat that just makes me want to get up and dance, but Crazy = Genius is pure genius. It gets the mood back up after the relaxed vibes of the previous song. This one will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day.
Favorite Lyrics: “Hey ay if crazy equals genius, then I’m a F*cking arsonist. I’m a rocket scientist.” These lyrics are just plain sassy. He’s pointing out that if one thing equals another, then he is definitely both.
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7. L.A. Devotee
This song slows down the pace of the album a little, and then the chorus picks it back up. It tells the story of how many perceive what happens once a girl moves from small town america to the sunny beaches of L.A. The story is well crafted and has what all good stories need, background, climax and resolution.
Favorite Lyrics: “Static palms melt your vibe.” This line is essential to the story, and the way Brendon sings it is enough to make anyone melt.
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8. Golden Days
Ah, yes the golden days of record players and polaroids. Wait, I wasn’t alive when all of those things were popular. Nevermind that! This song is fun, even if you don’t remember the “golden days” that Urie is referencing. In reality, he is simply referring to being young, and staying that way no matter how we age physically. It’s about being young at heart.
Favorite Lyrics: “Time can never break your heart, but it’ll take the pain away.” He basically just reworded the whole “time heals all wounds” and put his own spin on it.
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9. The Good, The Bad, And The Dirty
This song has a fun, angry theme to it. It talks about judgement, fighting, punching, and other things that suggest it’s an intense, emotional song. The music itself is upbeat and has semi-light tones. (This has slowly become my second favorite on the album.)
Favorite Lyrics: “True all of the good girls act good, til one of them doesn’t wait their turn.” This lyric shows just how petty we all are. We’re good at behaving until we don’t get what we want, and then it’s all downhill from there.
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10. House Of Memories
This is another song that mimics very classic Panic! This song definitely posesses some pop qualities, but it also has a darker component than traditional pop. It explains how a person may move on in our lives, but we’ll be in their “House of Memories”.
Favorite Lyrics: “Take my picture now. Shake it til you see it.” these lyrics are another throwback to the past in the time of polaroids. I love how he uses little pieces like this one to link all of the songs on the album together.
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11. Impossible Year
Even though it’s the last song on the album, it proves to be quite the ballad. It reflects his loss and hard times. Overall the sound is a bit dark song, but that doesn’t mean we don’t wish the song went on a little longer.
Favorite Lyrics: “And storms full of sorrow that won’t disappear.” This lyric just conveys the whole mood of the song, which is stormy and sad.
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Death of a Bachelor as an album has a very diverse track list, and Urie knocked it out of the park! Brendon Urie is making sure the Panic! At The Disco name lives, even if the rest of the original members are gone. The songs give an interesting insight into who Urie is as an artist (as well as his musical influences), and maybe even as a person.