What a difference a year makes – or in Brendon Urie’s case, four of them. After breaking charts across the globe with the unstoppable single ‘High Hopes’, the Panic! head honcho worked with Taylor Swift on Lover, sang the lead track in Frozen 2 and generally saw all his dreams come true. 

On album No. 7 (the third since Panic! became a solo project) the former emo contender turned mainstream heavyweight creates some new ones.

A celebration of ‘70s and ‘80s rock ‘n’ roll, especially of bands like Queen and T-Rex, this is a love letter to a golden era, which finds Brandon attempting to make classic sounds feel fresh and contemporary. For the most part, he succeeds. 

It’s an ambitious, outrageously overblown opus. Recorded live, during his walk down memory lane, he tips a cap to the likes of The Police (‘Say It Louder’), The Sweet (‘Sugar Soaker’) and Elvis Costello (‘Viva Las Vengeance’).

While the final third is less than riveting, the Billy Joel-meets-Thin Lizzy esque ‘Star Spangled Banger’, and Grease-style ballad ‘Don’t Let The Light Go Out’, are among the best tracks Urie has put his name to.

Score: 7/10
Listen: ‘Star Spangled Banger’

Out now via fueled by ramen.

Read more album reviews in the new issue of Hot Press.