The rumor is true that Panic at the Disco (formerly Panic! at the Disco) has split in two. Panic, an emo-pop group that broke out in 2006 with the help of Pete Wentz’s imprint Decaydance Records and 2005’s Nintendo Fusion tour, is losing half of their members but this doesn’t mean they plan to go anywhere. Today the remaining members posted on their website that although Ryan Ross and Jon Walker have left the group to “embark on a musical excursion of their own,” Panic at the Disco is alive and well and will continue making music. It turns out that the split was based solely on artistic differences. Here’s what Panic’s remaining members Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith had to say:

We just wanted to let you know, that the news of Ryan and Jon leaving the band is unfortunately true. It’s been an amazing journey being in a band with them, but sometimes individual tastes take friends in different directions and you can’t ignore it. They are some of the most talented guys we know, and we’re sure that whatever they do next will be great. That said, Panic At The Disco is alive and very very well. We are working on new songs that we are excited for you to hear. Our dates with Blink and No Doubt start in a little less than a month, and we wouldn’t miss those for the world. We know everybody has a lot of questions at this point with everything being so out of the blue, most of those should be answered in the coming weeks. We appreciate every one of you, and hope you continue with us on this incredible ride.

Ryan Ross had expressed a desire to change musical styles in the past. In Novemeber 2007 he told the Rolling Stone that Panic’s new songs would be influenced by groups like the Beatles and the Beach Boys: “the music our parents listened to.” In April 2008 Pluggedin online reports Ross as saying : “We’re not afraid to write about love or being happy. We have an entire culture that is either provocative or negative.”

Panic at the Disco has already started changing its sound from the eclectic emo-punk-pop sound of its debut album A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out with its sophmore album Pretty. Odd. Panic had a special spark and the right connections to rocket it to the top, but the group didn’t get the necessary time to refine and define their sound. Most bands go through a period of sweaty hustle, coming in to their own while they fight to find gigs and not fall apart. Panic at the disco found fame early in their career, before they were able to fully flesh out the sketch of themselves. Pretty. Odd., which was recorded on Abbey Road, was the result of the group’s natural development and change as they started to grow and sort themselves out. Unlike most musical artists the members of Panic at the Disco discovered the Beatles and other giants of rock after they were chart-topping stars. Understandably, their worlds were shaken.