For years, Panic! At The Disco has been one of the most well-known alternative-turned-pop bands since the beginning of their career in 2004, almost twenty years ago. The group started with four members: Ryan Ross, Spencer Smith, Brent Wilson, and of course, Brendon Urie. Since then, members have dropped like flies and left Brendon alone as the sole member of Panic! At The Disco in 2015. Since 2015, Urie has released three albums by himself, all of which have been a success, more or less. The first was Death of a Bachelor, followed by Pray For The Wicked, and then his final album, Viva Las Vengeance (VLV). After releasing VLV, Urie announced that he was going on tour for the new album, leaving us in the blue that it would be his last hurrah. 

On Tuesday, January 24, the Panic! Instagram account posted a letter from Brendon, a letter of resignation. He explained that his life is changing and he is starting a new chapter of his life. He and his wife, Sarah, are expecting a child and are putting the name P!ATD to rest to begin their life together as a family. After his VLV tour, he is going to stop producing music and thanked his fans and collaborators for the support he has had over the past twenty years.

Fans wasted no time and took to social media to rejoice over the band’s permanent leave, discussing how Panic! was never Urie’s band in the first place and how he was performing under the name. Not only was he performing under the name, but he was riding off the previous fame that the band had gathered over the years to use the fanbase to support his new albums. His newer albums had also taken a turn for the worse as his vocals sound shot from years of use and he seems to be running out of ideas for album themes.

Personally, I’m glad that Panic! has been disbanded. Their new album was not as good as the previous one and showed that Urie’s creativity was starting to run out. I feel like he should’ve stopped after Pray For The Wicked and didn’t release VLV, simply because it was a very lacking album, and seemed like he was desperate to get back into his previous eras. Panic! At The Disco before PFTW was the best time for them lyrically, musically, and vocally. Since then, it’s all been downhill. 

Now, the legacy of Panic! and its once clever lyricism and pop-punk hits can sleep easy as the name of P!ATD has been laid to rest.