Now down to just a single member, frontman Brendon Urie, emo-punk turned baroque-pop outfit Panic! at the Disco have certainly had an interesting few years. After disappearing from the mainstream into merely fanbase territory around 2016, Panic exploded back into the mainstream once more with 2018’s album Pray for the Wicked, which contains the infectious High Hopes, one of the biggest songs of the last few years.
While I certainly wasn’t complaining, Urie’s previous album contained quite a marked absence of any sense of the pop-rock which had one defined their sound, trading guitars for trumpets and drums for electronic beats. In this sense: Viva Las Vengeance, the lead single for the upcoming album of the same name, should please those fans. Featuring a perfect combination of rock and baroque sounds reminiscent of the band’s 2010 album Vices & Virtues, the song opens with an infectious guitar hook which allows Urie’s trademark glossy vocals to shine over the opening verse.
As with quite a lot of songs by the band, the chorus is where the song truly shines. Urie probably is guilty of ‘oversinging’, but with his vocal range, can you really blame him? His vocals exude confidence, possibly too much for some, but it perfectly fits in with the big-time Las Vegas character Urie portrays when performing.
Lyrically, the song focuses on the toxic elements that come with the Las Vegas lifestyle and hints that Urie may finally be wanting to escape them as he questions “What am I doing here? Stuck in the weeds.” Perhaps he is subtly hinting at a break away from the Vegas-style sound that has become commonplace with Panic’s sound in the past decade? If so, now might be the best time as it is admittedly becoming slightly predictable, which doesn’t sit right for a band who changed their sound up so frequently in their early years…
However, ahead of a worldwide tour across 2022 and 2023, this is a near-perfect arena-filler which is a sure bet to get anyone out of their seats.
‘Viva Las Vengeance’ is available now via Fueled By Ramen. Check out the video below!
