At my first big concert, Panic! At The Disco lead singer Brendon Urie broke his ankle running to the back of the audience to play for the people who could barely see the stage. Despite the pain, he limped back to the front, asked for a chair and finished the show.
This is just one example of Panic! At The Disco’s commitment to music, and it’s a memory that made me ridiculously excited to hear the band’s new single, “Victorious.”
The song came out on Sept. 28 and quickly rocketed to the #1 spot on Apple Music. It also made an appearance on Spotify’s Today’s Top Hits playlist.
It’s definitely not a classic Panic! At The Disco song, but it’ll grow on you if you give it a chance. Dark verses and a creepy yet energetic pre-chorus make up for the fairly cliché lyrics of the chorus. I’m not a fan of the childish, sing-songy sound of the intro (for a more effective take on the technique, see the French children’s choir in “Nearly Witches,” from Panic’s “Vices and Virtues” album), but the rest of the song makes you forget the disconcerting start.
Lyrics like “Eyes like broken Christmas lights / My touch is black and poisonous / And nothing like my punch-drunk kiss” against a driving beat beg to be shouted and will probably stick in your head until your roommate demands to know what you’re humming. When he or she asks, you better take that invitation to introduce them to a pretty quality song.
You’ll just have to go with the ordinary lyrics in the chorus, “Tonight we are victorious / Champagne pouring over us / All my friends were glorious / Tonight we are victorious," while a bit cliché, they’re still fun and catchy.
“Victorious” is the third single released from Panic! At The Disco’s fifth album. While we don’t have a release date (or a name) for the album yet, the band’s last album came out in 2013, so we’re definitely due for another masterpiece.
For now, we’ll have to content ourselves with listening to the three singles from the mysterious upcoming album, “Victorious,” “Hallelujah” and “Death of a Bachelor,” all of which promise more music in the vein of “Vices and Virtues,” Panic’s 2011 album.
