Following their 2011 release, Vices and Virtues, Panic! return with a Vegas inspired record - and a new member.
After releasing Vices and Virtues as a two-piece, Panic! have released a brand new album citing touring member, Dallon Weekes (previously front-man of The Brobecks), as a now official member. The change in the band is evident from the first track, recently released single 'Miss Jackson'; the bands new music seems to echo that of the first album but more mature as they've gained experience.
To say that no two tracks sound the same would be a colossal understatement, yet the whole album follows the same musical tone created by Panic!. Songs like 'Girl that You Love' and 'Far Too Young to Die' entice the listener with a more electronic sound - a running theme as the band incorporate what could be referred to as 'alternative' music with an almost theatrical take on electropop.
As Brendon Urie (vocals) has stated in many interviews, the inspiration for the record was Las Vegas - his hometown. This is also clear to anyone who has read the novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (or, indeed, seen the film) whereby the album's title comes from. The varied music style presented in the album does echo the vibrancy of Vegas, with the much slower, closing track 'The End of all Things' showing perhaps a different side to the tourist attraction those who have never lived in Vegas see.
The only thing left to hope for now is that Panic! at the Disco's stage shows match the energy the music in this record emits. The lyrics, never to disappoint, give us a personal insight into Urie's thoughts, almost. A top 10 album waiting to happen at the very least.
