Panic! At The Disco amplifies style despite loss of members 

“There’s nothing wrong with just a taste of what you paid for,” echoes front man Brendon Urie throughout Panic! at the Disco’s new single “The Ballad of Mona Lisa.” After two years, Panic! fans are certainly getting their money’s worth from the new album “Vices & Virtues.” Besides adding back their signature exclamation point into their name, Panic! lost two members, Ryan Ross (guitar) and Jon Walker (bass), yet still manages to conjure up a mix of sweetly mellowed polished pop tracks.

Although the band has progressed with an experimental twist, the music video for “The Ballad of Mona Lisa” is remarkably similar to their video of “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” in their album “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out.” The video of “Mona Lisa” has these reminiscent qualities of a church setting and varying camera shots such as “I Write Sins.” Coincidence? “Mona Lisa” conveys the message of Panic! wrapping up their past, yet embracing what the future holds.

“Vices & Virtues” is a combination of “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out” and “Pretty. Odd.” blended together with refined electronic pop and original sound. The increased time while recording the album allowed Urie and Spencer Smith (drums) to incorporate their own style of pop, developing a more mature sound. Despite this twist, Panic! still has that unique sense of oddity.

“Hurricane,” a personal favorite, opens up with consistent thuds of soft claps, transitioning into a mix of melodic guitar chords. The chorus leaves Urie’s voice singing “You’ll dance to anything” to repeat in your head. The song ends with about 30 seconds of an instrumentally electronic soft piano playing, transitioning into the following song “Memories.”

This song’s title speaks for itself. The nostalgic tune has Urie asking, “Oh memories/ Where’d you go?/ You were all I’ve ever known/ How I miss yesterday, and how I let it fade away/ Don’t fade away.” With a steady rhythmic beat, “Memories” is clearly reminiscent of the band’s rise to fame and also hints of its separation. This nostalgic theme however is overbearing throughout the album, being too reminiscent of the past.

“Vices & Virtues” conveys that tone of trying to leave their history behind them, but Panic! evidently does not overcome their loss.

Relating to the band’s bittersweet situation, “Ready To Go (Get Me Out of My Mind)” is a more fast-paced track, releasing powerfully catchy lyrics of running away from the present and “getting out of (your) mind” into a place where chaos is less consuming. The track opens up with a more melodic synthesized keyboard sound, transitioning into a spunky sing-along jingle going “Oh, oh, oh oh oooh.” Urie emphasizes being “ready” as if he’s set for what the future of Panic! holds. Instead of focusing on the past, Urie proves to be more optimistic and positive, with the lyrics and fast-paced beat reflecting that.

Their last track, “Nearly Witches (Ever Since We Met)” channels a “Pretty. Odd.” vibe. It begins with the dialogue of a mother talking to her children, in which transitions into strange French lyrics, all harmonizing eloquently together. The beat changes dramatically in this first minute. The French singing stops and changes into a more urban, cultural beat that solidifies a concrete rock sound, adding guitar chords and Urie’s distinctive voice. This track stands out the most in the album, with an odd rush of lyrics and blend of thrilling sounds. Although this track may be the most dramatic sounding, not a single song on the album is repetitive.

“Vices & Virtues” contains a variety of style in its tracks, giving each song a remarkable feel to it. These songs leave fans with a desire to have more than just a little taste of what you paid for.