Panic! at the Disco is finally writing songs to end fans' tragedies.
After a four-year hiatus from recording, singer Brendon Urie and the boys released "Viva Las Vengeance" on Friday. The new album is the band's follow-up to 2018's platinum-selling "Pray for the Wicked," which included the hit singles "Say Amen (Saturday Night)" and "High Hopes."
"The cinematic musical journey is about the fine line between taking advantage of your youth, seizing the day and burning out," the band said in a press release. "The songs take an introspective look into [Urie's] relationship with his decade plus career including growing up in Las Vegas, love and fame."
To celebrate the new release, the group went on NBC's morning show "Today" Friday and performed a selection of songs old and new. (Yes, they performed "I Write Sins Not Tragedies." Of course they did.) The performance marked their first live show in three years.
Urie's signature showmanship was on full display as he took the stage at New York's 30 Rock Plaza. Fans energetically followed the "Death of a Bachelor" singer's acrobatic vocals note for note during the four-song set.
Prior to the performance, Urie called the return to stage "momentous" while speaking to the "Today" hosts and gushed about his band's devoted fanbase, calling them "the most talented fans, also the most loving fans, they're just creative."
Urie also noted that the album was recorded on an 8-track tape machine to capture a retro vibe.
"We did this whole record on a tape machine. We wanted to go back in time," he said. "We were trying to mimic bands that I grew up listening to like Thin Lizzy, Queen and ... the Beach Boys and the Beatles and stuff. And you can hear that sound, it's a really warm sound, and all the stacked vocals. It's just fun."
He had previously spoken about the process of making the album and how it is a monument to his younger self.
"'Viva Las Vengeance' is a look back at who I was 17 years ago and who I am now with the fondness I didn't have before," Urie said in a press release. "I didn't realize I was making an album and there was something about the tape machine that kept me honest."
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