Death of a Bachelor was released by the rock band and teen/emo sensation Panic! at the Disco (yes, you have to write the exclamation mark every time or people get mad). It came out on January 15, 2016, making it the oldest album on my blog if you're judging by time difference. However, it's still #41 on Billboard, so I guess it's still kind of relevant?
When reviewing an album with such a huge fanbase like PatD has, it's important for me to remember that the reason that the fans stay around is likely not just this album; it's because they know so much about the members of the band and what their songs actually mean to them. That's why I'm not doing Ammunition by Krewella, one of my favorite bands; I know that I'll be too biased. Thus, I'm going to be taking PatD at face value from just this album; what do they make me feel? what messages are they putting across? is this album good without knowing the actual band?
First off, I'd like to mention that this album is basically just Brendon Urie. I'm sure that he'll drop the Panic at the Disco name. Second, the production on this album is just all-around lacking. The only song with halfway interesting production, Emperor's New Clothes, is mostly interesting because of the electronic influences, not the rock influences that PatD is built on.
The album starts weak with "Victorious". It's supposed to be a hype song, I guess, but the verses are far too lackluster for that purpose. The pre-chorus is okay, but nothing to write home about, and the chorus is, excuse me, but extremely cringy. "Oh, we gotta turn up the crazy/living like a washed up celebrity." This theme of weak, nonsensical lyrics continues throughout the album. However, PatD has always been like this (remember the infamous doorknob?), but this bizarre effect has just worn off by now. Additionally, I've always hated songs that have sampled children singing, and this song is no different; it just makes "Victorious" seem even more immature than it already came off as.
"Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time" starts much stronger than "Victorious", but this great start is quickly squashed by the extremely weak verses. As usual, the lyrics are garbage: "Who are these people?/I just woke up in my underwear.", and later, "I lost a bet to a guy in a Chiffon skirt/ but I make these high-heels work.". I get that they're supposed to be strange, but they just seem stupid and pointless on this album (Though I do have to admit, "I'm not as think as you drunk I am" made me chuckle). At least the chorus on this track is better, sounding like the rough, angry party anthem that this track is supposed to be.
"Hallelujah" is really PatD's only attempt at trying to actually make a song with some sort of message on Death of A Bachelor. Urie tries to motivate and thank his fans, and the chorus is certainly strong, without a lot of the strange lyricism that the previous songs have used. To be honest? It's probably the best song on the album.
"Emperor's New Clothes" is probably the most enjoyable song for me on the album, Most of the lyrics on this track make sense, and I like his aggressive voice on this song more than on any of the other songs on this track. I also do like the more electronic influences on this track more than the straight rock on the rest of the album. However, I think that the "Finders keepers/losers weepers" portion of this chorus is pointless and just detracts from the better parts of the song, like the bridge and the pre-chorus.
"Death of A Bachelor" shows that they grouped all of the album's largest projects at the start of the album, because the quality of the album drops after this one. I actually quite enjoy this one; it was a big surprise departure from the rock influenced previous tracks, shifting to a Sinatra influenced tune. The lyrics are stronger, about Urie's newly married life; he's not a bachelor anymore, so that part of him is dead. I really do like the message in this song more than any of the other messages of teen angst in the rest of the album; in fact, it seems almost too mature for the album.
Right after that song, the quality drops so far. "Crazy=Genius" is a horrible attempt at bringing back PatD's old style, with extremely weak lyrics, strange vocal samples, pointlessly frantic production, and mediocre vocals. I have 0 desire to ever listen to this song again; it's just so bad.
"LA Devotee" is similarly bad to "Crazy=Genius". It sounds exactly like a song that a commercial boy band like One Direction would sing, and the fanfare laced production sounds really bad. "Golden Days" follows in mediocrity, and listeners might start to wonder why all of the bad songs are bunched up in one spot (at least, I did). Again, another horrible song comes with "The Good, The Bad, and The Dirty". This one's supposed to be a hype song, but it just seems pretentious and pointless.
Finally, listeners get a bit of respite as the album closes on a softer note. "House of Memories" is another mature song, and though I'm not at all a fan of Urie's falsetto, I can respect his range. It's more cinematic than the rest of the songs, and I don't mind listening to it at all.
"Impossible Year" is completely out of place. It's another Sinatra inspired ballad, meant to showcase Urie's vocal talents. It's a good end to the album, but it doesn't fit at all, and again seems a bit pretentious.
It seems like Panic! at the Disco's main message that they like to spread is "drink and party". It's honestly kind of sad that so many people like them when so much of their message is foul. I think that it's fair to compare them to Twenty One Pilots (no, I'm not wasting time to get the right symbol). Twenty One Pilots have tons of songs about relatable issues, anxiety, and life in general, and I can respect that, even though I'm not a fan. PatD, on the other hand, preaches messages about teen angst and partying, with only a few songs actually having a purpose- or at least, that's what this album shows.
With 2 songs that I actually like on the whole album, I'm afraid that this is the album that I have enjoyed listening to the least; yes, less than New Engliish and Vroom Vroom. Though I don't really understand why PatD have so many followers, it's very important for readers to remember that this is JUST MY OPINION.
Final Verdict:
38/100
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