The Slow Death of Panic! At The Disco

The end of Panic! at the Disco has been expected for some time now. Beginning their career as part of the holy emo trinity alongside My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy, they fizzled out into a one-man band powered by Brendon Urie's ego and not much else. Though some people would argue that the band died in 2009 (when guitarist and lead songwriter, Ryan Ross left the band with bassist Jon Walker) Brendon Urie finally announced the official end of Panic! at the Disco just a few weeks ago.

In their prime, Panic! at the Disco were poetic lyricists, imaginative and complex, with pop-punk influences and inspiration taken from baroque pop; cultivating a huge following and a generation of die-hard fans. Their debut, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, is still a fan favourite to this day. The album was theatrical, and niche, and listeners loved it. The band were then taken under the wing of Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz, signing onto his label almost immediately, which probably fueled many young emos adoration for the band. Panic! lost their first of many members in 2006, bassist Brent Wilson who was replaced by John Walker.

Releasing Pretty Odd in 2008, although different to their debut, the band still had musical excellence. Although there was a split in opinion at first, over time it also became a cult fan favourite. Maintaining their signature baroque pop sound but adding a Beatle-esque influence, and an arguably more focused vision as well. Coincidentally, this is the last album from Panic! made with Ryan Ross and Brendon Urie’s partnership still intact, which can be heard in the music. Ross had taken up a more involved role in the band, and it was the closest to the band had to a traditional structure and even soloed one of the songs on the album, Behind the Sea. After the release of the album, two of the members of the band would step down, Ross and Walker, to go down a different musical path.

It was clear when Ross stepped down that Panic! were unsure of which direction to go with their sound. Apart from one song Ross wrote for the album before leaving (Nearly Witches; still adored by fans) the rest of their third album, Vices and Virtues, was the work of the remaining members. When it was released in 2011, fans knew that Urie was trying to rehash the sounds of 'old' Panic! without Ross and- despite some undeniable tunes like Sarah Smiles and The Ballad of Mona Lisa- they were failing. It was clear at this point that Panic!’s popularity was beginning to decline without Ross.

After the Vices and Virtues, it became clear that Urie’s ego was taking over. The last album released as a an actual band, Too weird to live, Too Rare to die, was the first album to have only Urie on the cover. Though the band still included founding member Spencer Smith and new addition, Dallon Weekes, the focus was just on Urie. I imagine that the constantly shifting of the band members meant Urie thought he was the only relevant one. It is near impossible to find any promotional images of this album that include Smith and Weekes. Although fans liked the album on release, over time they caught on to the musical changes of the band. This album was more aligned with pop music, cleaner, and more electronic.

Following this album, the final remaining members of the band also left. With only Brendon Urie left, many felt that the complexity and talent of Panic! had disappeared, and the sound had completely changed. Although Urie has undeniable vocal ability, without the rest of the band, he was just a puppeteer directing the image of a band, holding on to it’s successful past until 2023, when he finally packed it all up. After three solo albums under the name, attempting in vain to maintain the same love the band once had. Apart from a few hits which still spoke to people, the band was already over.

This is such a huge contrast to the fate of other hit emo bands, such as My Chemical Romance, Fall out Boy or even Green day and Paramore, who are still adored by public to this day. This is most likely to do with them not losing their passion and their sound (or their band members). Even My Chemical Romance, regrouping after a six years hiatus, has more grip than Panic! did in 2019.

Although the holy trinity of emo bands each have very different styles, the overlapping of their fandoms and the depressing lyrics spoke to the disenfranchised youths of the times. Panic! strayed from their roots and their past, where they gained most of their popularity. (Even including a collab with pop-star Taylor Swift in 2019.) Although I loved Panic! until the Death of a Bachelor album and saw it’s tour, even I could admit that it was so much better back when the group had not been destroyed by Urie’s ego. With so many fans believing the band broke up in 2009, it was no surprise to the public when Urie finally announced the end.

By Daisy Amann