Music News: Panic! at the Disco Announces 5th Album and New Single “Emperor’s New Clothes”

Bri Lockhart

9 years ago

After a series of cryptic Instagram posts, rock band Panic! at the Disco formally announced their fifth album, Death of a Bachelor. Lead singer and songwriter Brendon Urie has been casually mentioning the album over the past few months, but never gave a title or release date. The album is Urie’s way of reconnecting with his love of music and saying that the band isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, as he explains over at the band’s tumblr:

When I was a little kid and I heard a song I liked on tv, I would jump up and run to the piano to try and figure it out by ear. When I was 10 or 11, I built myself a drum kit in the garage made out of empty laundry detergent buckets, old lawn chairs, paint cans, and old trash cans. Around that time, my parents got me my first guitar. A baby acoustic. I jumped between all of these instruments constantly to satisfy the ideas I heard in my head. At this young age, I realized that music would play a huge part in my life. I had no idea.

“Death Of A Bachelor” is in honor of those times I spent alone as a kid. Allowing music to consume me. Playing everything myself just to get the idea right and out of my head. It’s a beginning to a new era. And an homage to how it all began.

This album is me. Running to the piano. Building a drum kit. Strumming a guitar.

In addition to the album news, Panic! released their next single, “Emperor’s New Clothes.” It’s a triumphant song about going after what they want and deserve–but not without acknowledging that things have changed for them. The opening line, “Welcome to the end of eras,” is telling of these changes, while the rest of the song plants their flag in the music scene.

Watch the video here:

The video for “Emperor’s New Clothes” starts in a familiar place for Panic! fans–that being in the middle of the “This is Gospel” video. Brendon is quickly thrown into a graveyard, where he undergoes a transformation into a demon and is eventually welcomed to hell. The camera angles are a little nauseating, but I appreciate how it embraces the Halloween spirit. Singing skeleton choruses? I’M IN.

The band will be playing a few shows in celebration of Death of a Bachelor. The current show dates are here:

1/12 – London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton (on sale 10/30 @ 10am UTC)

1/14 – New York, NY @ (Le) Poisson Rouge (on sale 10/23 @ 10am EST)

1/19 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Tower Theater (on sale 10/23 @ 10am PST)

I’m crossing my fingers that a full tour will follow the release of the album, perhaps not in the midst of the harshest part of winter.

Bonus: here’s Brendon Urie on Entertainment Tonight, reinventing Panic! at the Disco’s biggest singles:

Death of a Bachelor is on sale January 15, 2016. Pre-order it from iTunes HERE–you’ll receive instant downloads of “Hallelujah,” “Victorious,” and “Emperor’s New Clothes.”

Listen to “Hallelujah” HERE.

Listen to “Death of a Bachelor” HERE.

Listen to “Victorious” HERE.