She’s the star who’s stretched the boundaries of fashion and entertainment beyond the realms of possibility, a staple of 21st century pop culture, mastering the art of reinvention and successfully transcending multiple genres in her own right; Lady Gaga has released her sixth studio album, Mayhem.
The record is a stellar blend of experimental rock grooves infused with elements of 80s synth-pop, all ingeniously drenched in Andrew Watt’s signature glossy production. Watt has previously worked on classics like Miley Cyrus’ ‘Plastic Hearts’ and Post Malone’s ‘AUSTIN’ and has arguably solidified himself as one of the most prominent producers in mainstream music.
Doubts surrounding the cohesion of ‘Mayhem’ began circulating online following the news that ‘Die With a Smile’, the powerful chart-topping duet featuring Bruno Mars, was slated to appear on the record. Criticism began once Lady Gaga put out two singles from the album, ‘Disease’ and ‘Abcradabra’, two dark-pop bangers that contradict the simplistic nature of ‘Die With a Smile’, however upon observation, the latter actually feels more in tone with the rest of the project. Fans needn’t have worried, ‘Mayhem’ flows smoothly and maintains a sense of self throughout.
‘Disease’, a welcome return to Gaga’s delicious dark-pop roots, was released on October 25th 2024 as the lead single from ‘Mayhem’ and achieved lukewarm success on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #14. The release of ‘Abracadabra’ immediately caught the attention of listeners around the world, launching to #3 on the UK Charts and becoming the third single from ‘Mayhem’ to enter the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100.
The record opens with the two aforementioned singles, a bold move when you take into consideration the intensity of the tracks and the expectations they set for the rest of the project; Fortunately, ‘Mayhem’ has a lot of exciting moments to offer aside from the pristine singles. ‘Garden of Eden’, slated to be the third track from the record to be sent to radio, is an energetic, infectious electro-pop jam, a composition focused on the hedonistic mentality and club culture. The sultry track evolves gloriously with each listen and could even prove to be a discography standout for the songstress.
‘Perfect Celebrity’ showcases otherworldly vocals that only Gaga can offer so effortlessly, while the lyrics display the irony of celebrity culture and examine the star’s nonchalant relationship with fame and her own image. The next standout from ‘Mayhem’ is undoubtedly ‘LoveDrug’, an anthem for the heartbroken dancefloor junkies, who are perhaps resisting the temptation of crawling back to a toxic love by burying their feelings with mind-altering substances. (Spoiler, they will catch up with you!)
‘LoveDrug’ is succeeded by the most jarring track on the entire project, ‘How Bad Do U Want Me’, which replicates the exact formula of a Taylor Swift track from her ‘1989’ era – this isn’t a negative critique by any means, if anything, the song is so damn catchy it could unironically become a radio hit. This level of mainstream pop is clearly not what anyone would expect from a composition on a Gaga record in 2025 and that’s the magic of her artistry. ‘…Don’t Call Tonight’ is the satisfying climax of a spectacular three track run, exemplifying Gaga’s stupendous lyricism over a crisp beat and a pure ear worm of a hook.
Naturally, there are one or two tracks in this collective of work that don’t necessarily add anything particularly enthralling to the project as a whole. ‘Vanish Into You’ emanates an aura of mundanity that you wouldn’t associate with Lady Gaga. ‘Blade of Grass’ is much more listenable but still fails to match the excellent standard the rest of the album sets.
‘Mayhem’ symbolises the return of pop’s most daring chameleon. Lady Gaga has unleashed a solid body of work for the world to feast on, a body of work that will undoubtedly breathe life into dancefloors across the world. Every once in a while, a generational talent blesses our ears with new material and raises the bar for every other contender in the music industry- but this moment feels particularly special. Mother Monster is ascending.
Lady Gaga: Mayhem – Out 7 March 2025 (Interscope Records)
Gaga – Abracadabra (Official Music Video)
