Panic at the Disco! unveils “The Ballad of Mona Lisa”

Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith, the remaining members of Panic! At The Disco, are ready to resurface with their new album, Vices & Virtues.  When Ryan Ross and Jon Walker announced their split from Panic! At The Disco during the summer of 2009, whether or not Urie and Smith would continue with Panic! was up in the air.

Ross and Walker had already moved on by forming The Young Veins and released their album, Take A Vacation!, in 2010. The only thing Urie and Smith released was one song, “New Perspective,” on the Jennifer’s Body soundtrack.

Panic! finally came out of the shadows completely on Jan. 18 by announcing Mar. 29 as their release date for Vices & Virtues. Although their first single, “The Ballad of Mona Lisa,” can be found on various blogs and a lyric video was created, the official release date is Feb. 1.

After their Beatles-que album, Pretty. Odd., the new album Vices should receive nods of approval by fans who missed the upbeat feel of their first album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out. “The Ballad of Mona Lisa” is a great sneak peek of the diverse styles and instruments that will exist throughout Vices.

The sound of a tinkering music box piano in the new single is a taste of the theatrical theme that existed in A Fever. The rest of the album may dabble back into the realm of using an abundance of instruments, including a little bit of synthesizer, while still having a freshness of straightforward alternative rock.