There’s only one man panicking at the disco these days, and that’s Brendon Urie. The frontman has gradually shed band members to the extent that since 2016 this has been a solo project, a strong move that has led him to his highest chart positions.
The initial faultline seemed to appear because other bandmates wanted to shift their sound from theatrical emo rock towards whimsical Sixties psychedelia, as demonstrated in 2008 on their second album, which continued their fondness for awkward punctation by being called Pretty. Odd. and confused more than a few fans with its retro styling. Left to his own devices Urie is still looking backwards, but at a different decade. This seventh album is steeped in the classic rock sounds of the Seventies, all bright, colourful riffing, Brian May-esque guitar solos, and even some eye-watering Freddie Mercury high notes on songs such as Something About Maggie and the exhausting closing number, Do It to Death.
