In its six years of existence, Panic! At the Disco has gone through two line-up changes, removed the iconic exclamation point from their name, replaced it again and released two successful albums. With its third album, Vices & Virtues, Panic! has gone back to their original roots of making catchy pop-punk songs and has done it well.
Made up of Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith, P!ATD is down to only two of the four original members. The first to leave from the original line-up was bassist Brent Wilson in 2006, then Ryan Ross and Wilson’s replacement, Jon Walker, left in 2009. Ross was one of the key songwriters in the band, but Urie and Smith seem to get along fine without him. Not long after Ross and Walker left, P!ATD released a new song, “New Perspective” that was a preview of things to come and showed Urie and Smith could survive on their own.
Vices is the follow-up to P!ATD’s 2008, Pretty. Odd., and while it still has the professional and polished sound of their sophomore album, Vices is more reminiscent of the band’s first album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out. It is a pleasant blend of alternative and pop, without too much of either.
The opening track, “The Ballad of Mona Lisa”, is very similar to the band’s hit song, “I Write Sins Not Tragedies”. Both songs start off slow before breaking into a loud and upbeat chorus, but “Mona Lisa” is glossy and smooth where “Tragedies” was youthful and slightly repetitive. As the beginning track and also as the first single released from the album, “Mona Lisa” sets a wonderful tone for the rest of the album.
No one song is exactly the same as another, and Urie and Smith include songs featuring various emotions. The third track, “Hurricane”, is charming and full of beats that make you want to dance, whereas the fifth song, “Trade Mistakes”, is a poignant and powerful ballad.
Vices portrays many themes throughout the album, especially the newfound independence Urie gained in the songwriting process. With Ross gone, a lot of the pressure went to him to write new material as well as making the music. The sixth track, “Ready to Go (Get Me Out of My Mind)”, brings in theme of the band’s new direction and desire to begin again. When Urie sings “I think I’m ready to leap/I’m ready to live”, it is evident he was singing from personal experience.
The album takes a sweeter turn with the winsome “Always” and the infectious “Sarah Smiles”, written for Urie’s longtime girlfriend from whom the song gained its name. Then all too quickly, the album ends on “Nearly Witches (Ever Since We Met)”. A booming chorus and grandiose closing verse make for a stunning conclusion.
At only 10 songs long and about 37 minutes, Vices is shorter than the group’s first two albums. Where it lacks in length, it makes up for in quality. Whether the change in sound is due to Urie and Smith being the sole members or some other circumstance, Panic! At the Disco is back and ready to prove that they are here to stay.
Grade: A+
