On March 7, Lady Gaga released her highly anticipated album MAYHEM, and let me just say: Mother Monster is back in a big way. Not counting her collaboration with Tony Bennett and the albums she put out for Joker: Folie a Deux, this could be considered Gaga’s first album since Chromatica from 2020. That album had more of a strict dance feel. In contrast, MAYHEM is more of a delicious soup of pop, rock, and dance. What’s more, Gaga brought more of her classic early imagery into this album than in her previous work. Good news for diehard The Fame Monster fans.
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When Lady Gaga premiered “Abracadabra” during the Grammys, I immediately thought of the “Bad Romance” music video. There are some loose similarities in the video imagery, mainly the elaborate choreography and the color palette. However, after that song came out a friend told me that Gaga is really at her best when she’s rhyming things with “Gaga.” I’m inclined to agree.
The Fame Monster era was Gaga at her most Gaga. MAYHEM is a return to those aesthetics through a mature lens. She’s older, wiser, more glamorous. But, she still knows how to party and how to tell a story, and that’s what we all loved about her from the start.
“Disease,” “Abracadabra,” and “Garden of Eden”—the first three songs on the album—are heavy hitters right out of the gate. “Garden of Eden” is a danceable party anthem along the lines of “Teeth,” “Monster,” or “Telephone.” She brought back the imagery of lit-up dance floors, making out in dark corners, and doing drugs in the bathroom, but instead of a crisp, pop-y dance track, “Garden of Eden” is grungy, darker, and a little more slick.
[RELATED: The Meaning Behind “Abracadabra,” Lady Gaga’s Anthem of Resilience]
Lady Gaga is Back with Classic Imagery Drenched in a Grungier Sound
There’s a certain groove on Lady Gaga’s new album that is reminiscent of Born This Way. However, it doesn’t fall into the trap of being completely derivative of herself. There’s a spark of that youth on this album, but it’s clear that she’s matured past that era of meat dresses and being carried down the red carpet in a giant egg (actually two of my favorite Gaga moments). She’s been past that era for a long time, but MAYHEM just drives the point home.
“Killah” features that new, distinct groove, as does “How Bad Do U Want Me.” However, “LoveDrug” feels like a return to old Gaga perfectly blended with modern Gaga. One of the standout tracks for me was “The Beast,” a slower almost-ballad with such a visceral, thumping rhythm you can feel it in your chest.
The only tracks that took me out of the album were “Zombieboy” and “Blade of Grass.” Also, “Die With a Smile” I can take or leave. I really wanted to like “Blade of Grass,” because it’s a beautiful song. I just felt that the imagery didn’t fit with the rest of the album, which is grungy, dirty, and toes the line of industrial. However, the natural imagery in “Blade of Grass” didn’t necessarily mesh. In contrast, “Zombieboy” was a little too disco in comparison with the entirety of MAYHEM.
Overall, Lady Gaga has done it again. After the lackluster response to Harlequin and the entire Joker sequel, it’s nice to see Gaga with another win. MAYHEM is a return to what made us all fall in love with her, but it’s also a look at Gaga in a grungier light. It’s less of the polished sheen we’re used to and more of a new textured messiness.
Featured Image by Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images
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