Let us give thanks, Panic! fans. Brendon Urie just announced that “Pray For the Wicked,” the sixth studio album of the band’s illustrious career, will drop on June 22.
The big reveal comes after months of hints and snippets of new music from the famous frontman, who’s been rocking Broadway as a cast member of “Kinky Boots.” He’s back in LA after months onstage, and everyone’s invited to the homecoming party.
“After being away in New York for months doing “Kinky Boots,” I just wanted to hang out at home when I got back to LA,” Urie said in a recent press release. “I was so revved up that I asked some friends to come over to my home studio to help me write about all the incredible things I’ve experienced the last couple of years. “Pray For the Wicked” is my ‘thank you’ to our fans and the most fun I’ve ever had making an album.”
The LP boasts eleven tracks in all, and two of the new zingers are already out to give us our Panic! fix until the summer. Brendon goes for better than gold on “(F**k a) Silver Lining.”
“I was born to cut a million/Cut my teeth and made a killing” he shouts over a storm of trumpets before name-dropping Queen B (“A quick charade/Beyoncé/Lemonade”). “Everything is cherries on top” he yells, and he’s loving every second of it.
“Say Amen (Saturday Night)” is a brassy romp for the most seasoned weekend warriors. The insane note the frontman hits on the last chorus is enough to make it an instant Panic! staple. There’s also a kick-ass music video for anyone who ever wanted to watch Brendon Urie beat up ninjas.
So where does Urie get his boundless inspiration? Here’s what he has to say about his heaven-sent project:
“I pray for all the wicked people doing wicked things and for all the good people doing good things every day. I pray that my family stays safe while I’m on the road trying to share an incomparable experience with a million different friends. I pray, but not to any one specifically. More to myself, pleading to stay positive and loving and open-minded. I meditate on what concerns me. The things I enjoy. The changes I want to see in the world. The people who lift me up. The people who bring me down. I pray. So here’s a few more prayers from me and my friends. I pray you enjoy it.”
The “Pray For the Wicked” Tour is set to steamroll across America this summer, starting with a gig at the Minneapolis Target Center on July 11. Urie’s accompanied by his stellar touring crew: guitarist Kenneth Harris, bassist Nicole Row and drummer Dan Pawlovich. They’ll drop in on Pittsburgh’s PPG Paints Arena on July 18 and Philly’s Wells Fargo Center on July 27, along with A R I Z O N A and Hayley Kiyoko. The pre-sale starts tomorrow at nine in the morning, not in the afternoon.
The world is still high on the Grammy-nominated smash-hit “Death of a Bachelor,” released in January 2016. Pair it with the fresh fire that’s already spouting from “Pray For the Wicked,” and this Panic! party could go on all year long.
Panic! At the Disco came together in Las Vegas in 2004. Mainman Brendon Urie is now the sole member of the official band lineup.
