Five years since her last pop record, Lady Gaga has returned to the dance floor with “Mayhem.” Preceded by the hit singles “Abracadabra,” “Disease,” and “Die With a Smile” with Bruno Mars, “Mayhem” is a synthpop record that bent and played around with genre. It explored themes of love and desire with some monster-related imagery.
Gaga’s been inconsistent with her pop output since 2013’s “Artpop.” In the past 12 years, she has released only one pure pop record, 2020’s “Chromatica,” which spawned the hit song “Rain On Me” with Ariana Grande. In this time, Gaga has been busy with acting and other music. She starred in the films “House of Gucci” and “Joker: Folie à Deux,” and released various musical projects, including a jazz album with the late Tony Bennett and music for “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Joker: Folie à Deux.”
Review: 'Joker: Folie à Deux' takes the audience to be a fool
Although “Mayhem” was marketed with a dark, Gothic vibe from its aesthetic, singles, and fashion, it was actually not a dark pop album. The record was overall more joyful and upbeat. As such, some fans may want to adjust their expectations.
Highs
“Mayhem” was an apt title due to how diverse and eclectic the record was; there was something for everyone. Those who enjoyed Gaga’s older songs with infectious hooks that play around with syllables will adore “Abracadabra” and “Garden of Eden.” Those who enjoyed the more sleek production of “Chromatica” will love “Vanish Into You” and “Don’t Call Tonight.”
But “Mayhem” wasn’t just a rehash of Gaga’s latest hits. The satirical take on fame in the song “Perfect Celebrity” had a rock edge. “How Bad Do U Want Me” was reminiscent of Taylor Swift’s best pop songs such as “Cruel Summer” and “Blank Space” with its witty lyricism and storytelling. “Zombieboy” had the potential to become a dynamic, disco-esque Halloween classic.
Nearly the entire record was infectiously catchy. Gaga understood the key to making an enjoyable hook and cramming multiple into each song. To add onto the catchiness, there was a maximalist production style that made the songs deeply immersive. Gaga’s vocals were also powerful, as to be expected.
Although a record this eclectic could easily become a difficult, uneasy listen, the tracklisting was genius. The songs were ordered in such a way that they were never jarring, while allowing the record to morph and flow into different moods and sounds.
Lows
The one jarring song on “Mayhem” was its closer, “Die With a Smile.” The collaboration with Bruno Mars was a slower, soft-rock ballad. Although its lyricism fit on “Mayhem,” which mostly was about love, especially the extreme, magical kind, it's sound had no place in an album of infectious synthpop. It would have worked better as a standalone song, especially as “Blade of Grass” was a more appropriate closer.
Towards the end, the record overall began to lose steam. After the incredible “How Bad Do U Want It,” and “Don’t Call Tonight”, the album moved into the less memorable “Shadow of a Man” and the mellower “The Beast” and “Blade of Grass.” These were not bad songs, they simply didn’t reach the highs of most of “Mayhem.”
Verdict
“Mayhem” brought many great new songs to the Gaga canon. It wasn’t obvious what will be the next single from “Mayhem” as so many songs had hit potential. It struck a great balance between songs reminiscent of old hits and expanding Gaga’s pop sounds.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Frank Remski is a film and theater reviewer for The Eastern Echo. He is majoring in media studies and journalism and minoring in public relations. He has worked for The Echo since summer of 2023 and has written both news stories and opinion pieces.
