I've been a fan of Panic! At The Disco since I was small. Well, smaller than I am now, anyway. This group, along with My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy, along with some well-timed J-Pop jams, was the soundtrack to my High School years. (And college too, now that I think about it.) When Fall Out Boy went on hiatus (in other words, shortly before I got into the band, since fate can be cruel), Panic! was the group I listened to to tide my alt-rock cravings. Panic! and Fall Out Boy's duel tour with Twenty-One Pilots headlining was my first ever real concert that wasn't in a theatre or concert hall. So, to say that I like this group would be an understatement. Still, I'll try to be as impartial as possible while listening to their new album.

Truth be told, I've listened to all of their albums, and for me, their first (A Fever You Can't Sweat Out) and third (Vices & Virtues--which I'll get to in a moment) are my favorites, with their fourth (Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die!) getting a special mention for being pretty dang good overall. Their second album (Pretty. Odd)? I really didn't like it, to be frank, save for one or two songs. Still, that aside, coming into the album hoping for "Vices & Virtues" (one of my favorite albums of all time), I was pleasantly surprised, as "Death of A Bachelor" has hints each of these other albums, with its own unique sound.

At the moment, Brendon Urie is the only member in the group, but I wouldn't have known at first, as he channels the signature Panic! sound--catchy melodies, smooth harmonies, and smart lyrics. But, still, there is definitely more trap and electronic influence this time around, creating an interesting twist on the Panic! I expected.

For starters, I will admit, some of the lyric-play isn't as strong as in their other albums--no "I'm a fly trapped in a web / But I'm thinking that my spider's dead", "What a wonderful caricature of intimacy", or "I'm a wolf among the sheep and I've got the wool over my eyes" here. But still, some lyrics deserve a shoutout overall, especially "A lifetime of laughter / At the expense of the Death of a Bachelor" and "Being blue is better than being over it".

In terms of songs, each song is catchy, pleasant to listen to, and burrows into your mind and won't leave. (Trust me, I've tried to not have "Death of a Bachelor" running through my head all week. I've failed miserably.) For me, the highlights for the album are most certainly "Victorious", "Halleluiah", "The Good, The Bad, And The Dirty", "House of Memories", and "Death Of A Bachelor", with that last track seriously becoming one of my favorite Panic! tracks of all time. While all of the tracks are nice, these deserve a special shoutout for having an extra polish and edge that some of the other tracks lack. That isn't to say the other tracks are bad--the tracks I mentioned have that extra oomph, you know?

Some of the tracks do come across as a bit hollow--for example, "Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time" is probably the lowlight of the album--it's so... generic. Like, catchy as it is, it's... eh. Like, save for Brendon Urie's voice, I wouldn't have known this was Panic!. It felt like filler. Now, is it bad? No. It's just not good. Others will probably disagree with me, but that song specifically, along with "Crazy=Genius", made me shrug. Catchy, but nothing unique. Though, I will admit, "You've got the residue of a torturer inside your eyes" is the best lyric in "Crazy=Genius". That's the Panic! I know and love, peeking through. In fact, the verses of that song just barely make up for the averageness of the chorus. Still, even if I'm nitpicking these two songs, they aren't bad! Just okay.

But, when the album is good, it's good. Urie's voice is haunting, and in channeling Frank Sinatra in "Death of the Bachelor", the album's titular track, the heart of the work peeks through. It's got the best of the album--great lyrics, gorgeous singing, and a catchy beat that infuses the modern with some classic style. It's no wonder that it's the title track--it really encapsulates everything good in the album.

Still, I will warn readers that even if Urie does a pretty good job on his own, the lack of the other members of Panic! can be felt, as there are times when the album comes across as hollow. Like, there's something missing, but I can't place what it is. Still, that by no means renders this album as a bad one! It's still a good album overall, and I'd recommend at least giving it a listen if you can. It's available on iTunes, YouTube (legally posted by the band itself), and Google Play. And while you're at it, go listen to Vices & Virtues. You'll thank me later.

Rating: 3.5-4/5 Stars