Who even remembers Ryan Ross? He’s an ex-member of Panic(!) At The Disco, and there was some extraordinary ‘drama’ with the split, even including cocaine rumors. He had tried out a new music project, The Young Veins, for a while but that didn’t do too well- we all knew no one would be as successful as Panic! Regardless, he’s released something new and so I decided to give it a listen.
Ross has always been a fantastic writer and had a very strange feel with his words. His voice is also beautiful and unique. The tune “You’re Invited” is weird and almost feels creepy. The vocals are odd and choppy and mirror the techno feel that is unlike anything he’s ever done before. “My mind is playing tricks on you” has an MGMTesque vibe and it begs the question, “what the heck even happened.”
It wouldn’t come as a surprise if Ross admitted to being a pot smoker or maybe even on something heavier at this point. He’s so fleeting and flighty that his ambiguity can’t even be mistaken for ignorance or innocence. The song is just…off. The man’s a grown up and rebuilding his success from the ground up, but there’s the undeniable sense of the fact that he’s just going to fail again. He’ll never achieve any musical status and will end up pumping gas or waiting tables in a matter of years.
It’s the sad reality and it just needs to be acknowledged. Though I wish him the best of luck, it’ll be tough to watch him fall once more.
