Colossal pop music fans definitely know the name of Panic! at the Disco. Panic! had been gracing the music scene for almost 20 years. At least, until frontman Brendon Urie disbanded Panic! on Jan. 24 to focus on being a father. To commemorate the band’s disbanding, I will be writing about the band’s history from the beginning to the end.
Panic! at the Disco was formed in 2004 in the suburbs of Las Vegas, Nevada by Ryan Ross and Spencer Smith. The pair had been playing together since high school, but eventually invited Brent Wilson to join on bass guitar and Brendon Urie to play guitar. Originally, Ross was the lead singer but made Urie the lead vocalist after hearing him sing. Originally, Panic! at the Disco was a Blink-182 cover band called Pet Salamander.
Their first album, “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out,” was released Sep. 27, 2005. The band was signed by Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz’s music label, Decaydance. The album included two different musical styles: the first half was pop punk with elements of electronics and the second half employed traditional instrumentation with influences of baroque pop. The album’s second single, “I Write Sins Not Tragedies,” was the most popular track of the album and became a top 10 hit in the United States. While recording the album, the band changed their name from Pet Salamander to Panic! at the Disco. During the recording of the album, it was reported that Brent Wilson did not put any effort into the album and was subsequently fired in May 2006. He also threatened to sue the band for 25% of the royalties.
The band eventually released “Pretty. Odd.” in 2008 and “Vices and Virtues” in 2011. Their popular fourth album, “Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die,” was released in 2013. This album included one of the band’s more popular tracks, “This is Gospel,” which peaked at number 87 on the Billboard Top 100 when the single was released. The album also had different music genres and was the last album released as a rock album.
Three years later, the band made a comeback as a solo band with their fifth studio album, “Death of a Bachelor.” Released in 2016, this album featured many popular songs that pop music fans know today such as the titular “Death of a Bachelor,” “Hallelujah” and “Emperor’s New Clothes.” The album was a success for the band, even after many lineup changes.
The band went on to release two more studio albums in 2018 and 2022. Their 2018 release, titled “Pray for the Wicked,” features the hit song “High Hopes,” which peaked at number four on the Billboard Top 100. The song was their highest since “I Write Sins Not Tragedies.” Their final album was titled “Viva Las Vengeance.”
Panic! at the Disco was well known for changing the style of music on every one of its seven studio albums. They primarily focused on pop-rock music but did not shy away from other styles, ranging from psychedelic pop to emo-pop to vaudeville. The band won multiple awards, especially for their success with “Pray for the Wicked,” including four Billboard Music Awards and one American Music Award award for Alternative Artist of the year.
Overall, it is really sad to hear that Panic! at the Disco is no more, but those who loved the band will definitely be singing the band’s most popular tunes to this day. This is truly the death of a bachelor.
Death of a bachelor: A Panic! at the Disco retrospective
Christina Sayut
Image sources: nypost.com
