Recorded at the Studio at the Palms in Paradise, Nevada with additional production at Abbey Road Studios in London with producer Rob Mathes, the album was inspired by baroque pop and the works of the Beach Boys and the Beatles, with its psychedelic-styled rock sound differing greatly from the techno-influenced pop-punk of the band's previous album A Fever You Can't Sweat Out (2005).

To begin work on the record, Panic at the Disco retreated to a cabin in the rural mountains of Mount Charleston, in the group's native state of Nevada.

Upon growing dissatisfied with their final product, the band scrapped the entire album and spent time writing and recording Pretty.

The record received a generally positive critical response, but under-performed commercially in the aftermath of its quadruple-platinum-selling predecessor, instead only achieving platinum status.

[1] The group, fresh off the major success of their debut A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, took a break after non-stop touring and began formulating ideas for their next record together during the winter of 2006.

[4] By April, the band had four songs completed and planned to leave the cabin to head to Los Angeles to continue work on what Ross called "a modern fairy tale with a romantic twist.

The band grew uninterested in the songs previously written and by August scrapped the entire new album (which Ross later revealed was "three-quarters" done)[9] and started over.

the band was not concerned with succumbing to the pressures of living up to the success of their debut, instead writing and recording songs that made them happy.

[23] The sound of the album was described by the band as "more organic and mellower" than A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, as well as unintentionally and coincidentally similar to music of the Beatles, in both songwriting and scope.

"[13] The difference in age did not take negative effect on the band, instead inspiring them to look through a more mature perspective, according to singer Brendon Urie.

James Montgomery of MTV regarded the song similar to The Band's Music from Big Pink,[26] and called final single "Northern Downpour" reminiscent of "an Abbey Road outtake".

Spin regarded it as the centerpiece of the record, calling it "a sunshine pop sing-along that's as blindingly bright" and a stark contrast to the "embarrassing" A Fever You Can't Sweat Out.

[28] Gigwise called the song "the track everyone will want to see the band play live," and noting that its "brass backing and glorious string-based crescendo are that of Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys.

[9] The band first began promotion for the album in November 2007, with a snippet of "Nine in the Afternoon" audible in the Heroes episode "Cautionary Tales".

[31] The original message was revealed to be a disclaimer in the record's first track, "We're So Starving", which debuted in a rough mix on the band's MySpace on January 2, 2008.

[33] In April 2008, the band released a short film to promote the album, titled Panic at the Disco in: American Valley.

- Geraldine Woods, the author of Webster's New World Punctuation: Simplified and Applied[35] The entirety of the art direction for Pretty.

[37] The album cover art consists of painted flowers and butterflies, which Slant regarded as a tribute to the Beach Boys.

[40] Those figures marked the band's biggest sales week to that date, beating a previous record held by A Fever You Can't Sweat Out (which sold 45,000 during the winter of 2006).

[48] Although the album has been commercially viable and certified gold, the record failed to match the sales of the band's debut, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out.

created fan confusion and received a mostly mixed critical response, so much so that in 2011 Rolling Stone called the record one of the boldest moves in rock history.

"[28] Billboard also was generally positive, calling the record "15 tracks of welcomed live drum sounds, symphonies and stacked harmonies.

"[64][65] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone agreed with the latter statement, calling the songs "often beautiful," rounding out a less-than-impressed review with "Even when it's over the top, which is basically always, Pretty.

"[52] Paul Schrodt of the online Slant Magazine dismissed the record as generic, but commended the "exuberant delivery" of the pop hooks.

[55] Fellow British music magazine Q expressed similar sentiments: "Ultimately, you're left wishing that Panic at the Disco had more to say about their own generation, instead of mimicking that of their parents'.

"[67] The New York Times called the record "wildly elaborate" and a "brave change," but offered less kind words to summarize: "For all its craftsmanship, Pretty.

in retrospect as overlooked, writing that, "Give this one a decade ... we could have another Pinkerton on our hands," referencing the Weezer album that received a mixed response upon release but was heralded as a classic in later years.

[32] Motion City Soundtrack, The Hush Sound and Phantom Planet opened for the tour, which April 10 to July 14, 2008 across North America.

[73] Each show contained "woodsy set pieces, projections of flora and fauna, and mic stands wrapped in lights and flowers," and each band member dressed in a vest.

[74] While reflecting on the theatrical nature of A Fever You Can't Sweat Out touring, Urie commented "We did it and it was a lot of fun when we did it, but this time around I think we wanted to get back to a more intimate, personal setting, and scale it down a little bit."