Panic! At The Disco are back in the game, folks. Today, the band released two new tracks: “Say Amen (Saturday Night)” and “(Fuck A) Silver Lining”. It has been over two years since their last album, Death of A Bachelor. “Say Amen” is the lead single from the band’s sixth LP, Pray For The Wicked, which is slated to release on June 22. The band made a whole slew of announcements regarding the new era today, during what was referred to as a “tweetstorm”.
The accompanying music video for “Say Amen” was also released today. It’s a beautifully shot action video that includes an exploding microwave, blood and gore, and frontman Brendon Urie in a suit. What more can we ask for? Brendon is preparing for a date after stealing a valuable artifact called the Devil’s Key. He nonchalantly takes out a group of robbers after the key using various items lying around his house. While it may seem like Brendon comes out on top and gets the girl, it turns out his date was looking the key too. Give the video a watch below, you won’t regret it!
“Say Amen” taps into the religious undertones present in several other Panic! songs, the most obvious examples being “This Is Gospel” and “Hallelujah”. In an exclusive interview with Alternative Press, Brendon revealed that “Say Amen” is about “taking back [his] tradition”. While raised a Mormon, he doesn’t consider himself religious anymore. “On this one, I compare myself to the wicked, but do I consider myself wicked, as well? There’s a dichotomy there, for sure.”
While Brendon now considers himself more of a “homebody” than a partygoer, “Say Amen” definitely classifies as a club banger. It is packed with the intensity and the soaring vocals that Brendon never fails to deliver. The song infuses the energy of a hardcore party into its chorus, especially the climax of the lyric “I pray for the wicked on the weekend”, from which the new album title was drawn. The good news is, we won’t have to wait long to witness the first live performance of “Say Amen”. Panic! is slated to perform on the Tonight Show today, March 21st. The show airs at 11:35 EST.
The second track released today, “(Fuck A) Silver Lining”, gives us Death Of A Bachelor era vibes. The song launches right into its chorus with punchy brass instrumentals and of course, the catchy refrain of the song’s title. It even references Beyoncé’s most recent album Lemonade. We think it’s an excellent choice for an opening track!
As for Pray For The Wicked, we don’t have any specific details yet. Brendon told Alternative Press that the songs on the new album are “very personal”. “They’re about things I’ve been pondering for quite a while, maybe I’ve held onto inside for too long. But I’d like to get it out.” In addition to revealing the album artwork (pictured above), which has a much lighter and softer aesthetic than any of the band’s past album covers, the tracklist was also unveiled today. While we already have the album’s first two songs on repeat, there are still 9 more tracks to look forward to:
- (Fuck A) Silver Lining
- Say Amen (Saturday Night)
- Hey Look Ma, I Made It
- High Hopes
- Roaring 20s
- Dancing’s Not A Crime
- One Of The Drunks
- The Overpass
- King Of The Clouds
- Old Fashioned
- Dying In LA
As if all this news wasn’t enough, Panic! also announced a North American Pray For The Wicked Tour! Bassist and vocalist Nicole Row will take the place of Dallon Weekes on this 27 date summer tour. Supporting the band will be Arizona and Hayley Kiyoko. Tickets go on sale for the general public on Friday, March 30th at 12 pm local time. All tour dates are listed on Panic!’s website.
Panic! At The Disco’s sixth album Pray For The Wicked will be released on June 22 and is available for pre-order now. The first two tracks on the album, “Say Amen (Saturday Night)” and “(Fuck A) Silver Lining”, are available to buy and stream now.
What do you think about Panic! At The Disco’s new songs? Let us know if you’re excited for Pray For The Wicked by tweeting us @CelebMix.