Panic! at the Disco’s latest album, “Death of a Bachelor,” harkens back to the edgy pop sounds Brendon Urie and co. built their career on in 2005 with their iconic “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out.” But this recent effort proves vastly more empowering than earlier work. While long-time fans may miss the band’s former angst, bits and pieces of it still shine through.
Moving away from the hard rock influences of “Vices & Virtues” and the mellow indie pop sound of the most recent effort “Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!,” frontman Urie cites Frank Sinatra as playing a major role in the creation of “Bachelor.” Indeed, old-time influences are clear. “Crazy=Genius,” for instance, makes use of rapid underlying drum beats — well-suited for a 1950s dance hall — and a tense, insanely playful brass section. Urie’s voice shows obvious similarities to Sinatra’s smooth, deep voice, as demonstrated best by the album’s token slow track, “Impossible Year.” Here, horns take a dramatic turn atop a heart-wrenching piano melody, and, although Urie’s vocals aren’t as rich as Sinatra’s, the combination sounds authentic. A rampant, shredding guitar paired with these crooning elements creates a truly unique sound in these tracks, bringing together sultry modern rock and Sandra Dee-era milkshake tunes.
The album’s only downfall comes from its strict division between old and new styles. While many tracks feature the aforementioned 50s influences to stunning effect, the major singles released throughout 2015, like “Hallelujah” and “Victorious,” predicted a power-pop effort grounded in rock instrumentation. With such a distinct difference in these two sounds, the album suffers from a slight lack of cohesion.
Hints of the band’s alternative, “emo” past also sneak into “Bachelor,” mainly by way of Urie’s lyrics. Although the album’s theme strays from notions of love and relationships, focusing instead on relatively meaningful depictions of luxurious parties and Hollywood culture, small facets of feeling peek through. “House of Memories” in particular should delight fans of the band’s pop-punk days with lyrics like “Those thoughts of past lovers / They’ll always haunt me / I wish I could believe you’d never wrong me.”
Overall, Urie’s songwriting abilities are unmatched. His lyrical work is consistently engaging and consumable, not delving deep enough to require serious thought, and the ridiculously catchy melodies he crafts could draw in the most stubborn anti-mainstream pop music snobs. Despite the stylistic dissonance, “Death of a Bachelor” is surely one of Panic! at the Disco’s best expressions of Urie’s talents.
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