Nearly 5 years after her last studio album, Lady Gaga released her dynamic seventh main studio album “MAYHEM” on March 7.
Released through Interscope Records and its subsidiary Streamline, “MAYHEM” consists of 14 tracks and is 53 minutes long of cohesive chaos. Both a return to form and a revitalization of the Lady Gaga persona, a smattering of various genres all come together to create one of Lady Gaga’s best albums to date.
“MAYHEM” opens with “Disease,” an industrial synth-pop banger with Gaga channeling Nine Inch Nails to great effect. As an opener to the album and as a single, it introduces listeners to the “MAYHEM” era well, with a return to dark analog synths and allusions to vaguely Catholic themes in the lyrics such as: “If you were a sinner, / I could make believe.”
“I’m embracing all of my gothic dreams, and trying to express all of those dark fantasies that I have—but in ways that are both dark, yet also carry the light with them, too,” Gaga said in an interview with Vogue.
The return to darker instrumentals is paired with Gaga’s vocals being the best it has ever been, her voice soars in the song’s crescendo. It’s a trait that is consistent throughout the entire album. Gaga has proven time and time again that she has a powerful and unique voice and this album doesn’t do anything to refute that point. Her voice is dynamic: full of life and a pleasure to listen to.
“Abracadabra” brings back the Gaga-ism of incorporating her name into the lyrics of her songs and is overall a catchy and fun electro-house track. From the first seconds of the clattering synths on “Garden of Eden,” I was compelled to get straight onto the dance floor, even if that dance floor was just my bedroom floor. The grimy electro-dance soundscape and indulgent lyrics evoke a messy weekend of partying and reckless decisions that are reminiscent of classic dance-pop Gaga and it is effervescent. The song is filled to the brim with the hooks from the earworm of a chorus, the guitar riffs, the post-chorus chants, or the instrumental breakdown at the end of the song. All of it comes together to form one of my favorite songs on the album and a showcase of Gaga’s skill in creating dance-pop.
Then Gaga rocks out in the grungy “Perfect Celebrity,” letting her anger and frustrations about being a celebrity objectified and degraded in the public eye. The topic of celebrity is something she has explored in past songs such as “Paparazzi.” However, angsty riffs and a rock edge color the song in a fresh and thrilling new color. It’s a song that would be appropriate to start a mosh pit. Then we switch things up with the sweet and sunny synth-driven “Vanish Into You,” a romantic and euphoric song where Gaga reminisces and expresses her desire to disappear into the person she loves. This is the point where the album diverges from expectation. From the album’s aesthetics, one could expect a darker album that sounds just like the four tracks.
“I’ve been asked to tell critics what box I fit into, and I never have a good answer, because I have been so many different things. I’ve always been a refracted artist,” Gaga said in a Consequence article.
This leads to a more diverse and chaotic album, which I feel is very befitting of the album’s name. However, not all tracks hit their mark. The Prince-inspired electro-funk track “Killah” starts off strong with a killer groove and a fun unhinged vibe but unfortunately, I find the track doesn’t build up enough or crescendo to a satisfying point. I wouldn’t call it a bad song, just something that isn’t living up to its potential. Her Saturday Night Live performance of the song I feel is further proof of this since that rendition ends with a needed chaotic finale that the song was screaming for. Thankfully, “Zombieboy” lifts the album back up with its own groove and playful post-chorus chants and a sudden but very much welcome hard metal-esque guitar solo.
“LoveDrug” is a synthpop cut with Gaga singing about her dependence on someone’s love, the mix of desperation and euphoria wrapped in glittering synths and electric guitar is a recipe for success. Gaga tries on Taylor Swift’s “Style” with “How Bad Do U Want Me,” the soundscape and her vocals of this song remind me of Swift’s “1989” album and its interpretation of 80s synthpop. The song feels less eccentric and less stereotypically “Gaga” than the others in the album but it is still an incredibly catchy and well-constructed pop song. The “Oh, oh, oh you love a good girl” hook is a highlight for me and sticks in my mind.
“My sound is an amalgamation of the music that helped me fall in love with music. So it’s got classic rock in it, disco, electronic music, ’80s synth,” Gaga said in a New York Times interview.
Those disco influences make themselves known with the grooves of “Don’t Call Tonight,” and the party continues with the pulsing electronic beats of “Shadow Of A Man.” Then there’s “The Beast” with its slow, plotting energy and the lyrics of Gaga seducing an alluring but werewolf-like figure. The song would fit very nicely on a BookTok dark romance character playlist and I think that’s up to the listener to determine whether or not that’s an insult. Personally, you get this type of track with a tempting instrumental solo for the bridge and I fold. I enjoy this track quite a lot even though it’s somewhat clumsy lyricism.
The album draws to a close with the saccharine but ultimately way too long piano-ballad “Blade of Grass.” Following that track is the Grammy-winning “Die With A Smile,” a simple and classic pop-rock ballad between Bruno Mars and Gaga featuring honeyed lyrics and silky smooth harmonies. Gaga and Mars’ voices come together for this effortlessly simple ballad, which serves a satisfying final note after 13 tracks of genre-bending and Gaga eccentricity. I do think it’s more of a Bruno Mars track with a Gaga feature rather than the other way around but it fits the album and is a great closer nonetheless.
“’Die With a Smile’ is really hopeful, dreamy and classic and that’s where the mayhem ultimately ends. The beauty of the album is that the mayhem doesn’t repeat. It ends,” Gaga said in a Rolling Stone interview.
Going into this album, I expected a much darker and heavier album in its soundscape but I’m very glad with what Gaga has done. Gaga’s love of music and how much she enjoyed the process of making the album shines through it and makes for a record that shows she can not just go back to her past work but build off of it. Through analog synths, groovy bass lines, thrilling guitars and Gaga’s lively voice “MAYHEM” provides a chaotic and satisfying roller coaster of an album.
