Fans of the pop-punk genre of music will be pleased to know that after Fall Out Boy’s release of their album M A N I A, they will receive another fix of new material from Panic! at the Disco on June 22, 2018. However, lead singer of the band Brendon Urie, on March 20, teased the album, Pray for the Wicked, and released two songs the very next day. 

Ever since the conception of Panic! at the Disco, the band has been regarded as part of the “emo-trinity” on music-focused blogs such as killthemusic.net.  Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance make up the other two parts in that “trinity.” Their breakout album debuting in 2005 featured their most popular song, “I Write Sins not Tragedies” which, at its peak, reached 2nd on US Mainstream Top 40 charts. Every album is different, and Panic! at the Disco has changed throughout the years. From the mystical, fairytale-like Pretty. Odd. (2008) to the pop-punk beats of Vices & Virtues (2011), Urie’s vocals satisfy the ears of millions. Even in their 2016 album Death of a Bachelor, Urie flirts with a Frank Sinatra-like sound in their song of the same name, “Death of a Bachelor.” 

In a live-stream on Instagram, Brendon Urie revealed his excitement to start releasing new music. “A sneak peek? At songs? Oh, I would love nothing more, but I would also love to extend this career to share more music in the future, and if I show you guys something new I fear that the powers that be would come down upon me with the power of a thousand winds.” Though just seconds later he said excitedly, “I shouldn’t act out of fear, right? You guys wanna hear a little piece.” He then leaked a few seconds of the song “Say Amen.” 

First on the record comes “Silver Lining,” a simple song, but that simplicity makes it very easy to jam along to. The track lies more on the pop side of what the band normally releases. In the past, a more pop sound and produced instrumentals has led them to works of art such as “LA Devotee” (Death of a Bachelor, 2016), and “Girls/Girls/Boys” (Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die, 2012).  

Second, comes “Say Amen.” While there are still 9 more songs to be released, this one may already be my favorite on the album. Laying the pop-punk on heavy, this dark yet groovy track has listeners shouting that they, too, “pray for the wicked on the weekend.” Audiophiles are left thirsty for more from the anthem-like chorus to the end of the song where Urie tests his vocals and hits one of his highest notes.  I believe this is one of the band’s strongest performances. 

There is still much more to come, and if Urie stays true to himself as he did with Panic!’s last album Death of a Bachelor, then we could see some tracks on this new album that resemble Sinatra, as well as the usual pop-punk beats. The only thing to be done is to wait for June 22nd.