Brendon Urie's classic theatricality claws its way into Panic!'s latest, but there's little substance to support it.
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After the release of 2015’s ‘Hallelujah,’ Panic! at the Disco’s first single from Death of a Bachelor, frontman Brendon Urie opened up on the religious undertones of the song by making note of his religious upbringing and subsequent itch for “the spirituality of being able to own up to your sins, as they’re called, and take responsibility for your actions.” ‘Say Amen (Saturday Night),’ the first single to be released from upcoming sixth studio album Pray for the Wicked, pursues a similar vein to ‘Hallelujah,’ but leaves its introspection at the wayside for quick, blaring hooks, and swaps the waterfalling drum fills for Urie’s impossible falsetto. “Swear to god, I ain’t ever gonna repent/Mama can I get another amen?” the chorus blasts, marking an outrageous divergence with the song’s verses, all which tell the sorry saga of a man dissatisfied with his shallow life: “If I had one more day to wish, if I had one more day/ I could be better, but, baby/ Oh, it’s Saturday night.”
‘Say Amen’ oftentimes feels like a continuation of Death of a Bachelor’s ‘Don’t Threaten Me With a Good Time,’ but lives up to little of the 2016 hit’s lyrical finesse and major-league musicality (which has the hook of the B52’s ‘Rock Lobster’ to thank). Although undeniably catchy and following the increasing trend of radio-friendly rock music our favourite pop-punk and emo icons are treading, it wouldn’t be too far a stretch to think that the track (as well as the baffling, horn-infused ‘(Fuck A) Silver Lining,’ also released this week) is nothing but a late-released B-side to the 2016 classic.
Pray For the Wicked will be released on June 22nd 2018, via Fuelled By Ramen and DCD2 Records
