With an all-new approach to the age of dark pop, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, better known as Lady Gaga, has released her eighth studio album titled “MAYHEM”.
When writing this, Gaga wanted to pull from ‘80s funk with a side of grunge. In an interview with Pitchfork, she commented that the album “started as me facing my fear of returning to the pop music my earliest fans loved,” she then compared the process to, ”reassembling a shattered mirror: Even if you can’t put the pieces back together perfectly, you can create something beautiful and whole in its own new way.” This showcases the incredibly hard work she put into making this latest work of art.
Gaga did everything she hoped to do with this album. It has multiple fun and dance tracks but also somber, heartbreaking ballads. Compared to past works, “MAYHEM” brings something totally new but still familiar to the table.
Opening with the first track, “Disease,” it’s a very exciting song with its loud beat and fun chorus. One thing about Gaga is that she knows how to write a good chorus. In this album, she highlights the rasp of her voice, as we get the first taste of it in this song.
This album fits together nicely, yet each track is completely different. Some of the other songs on “MAYHEM” have crying-while-dancing-in-the-kitchen vibes, groovy flash mobs and even electric evil tunes.
The second song, “Abracadabra”, just makes you want to dance and sing. First shown at the 2025 GRAMMY AWARDS, it has been an off-the-charts hit! The amount of times I’ve watched the music video is uncountable.
Another thing about this album is that there’s something for everyone. No matter what kind of music you like, I guarantee you will like at least one track off of “MAYHEM.”
This next track might be my favorite of this album, it’s called “Garden Of Eden”. This chorus was immediately stuck in my head. When I first heard this, it reminded me of early 2000s Kesha. This song is just straight-up fun!
The song “Perfect Celebrity” is one of the songs that needed to be made. Gaga shines a light on the negative feelings that come with being a celebrity. My most adored line from this song is “You make me money, I’ll make you laugh.” I feel like this perfectly focuses attention on the parasocial expectation of celebrities to be more than an artist.
Even if this album isn’t something you seek to listen to front to back, it will be refreshing when it comes on shuffle. As well as with some of the high-energy songs, I believe some of the tracks will be staples on hype playlists.
Overall, I’m just glad to have new Gaga music. This album will never go out of style, and I can’t wait to see what others think of this release.
