Lady Gaga’s latest album, Mayhem, marks a dynamic return to her pop roots, blending nostalgic elements with a contemporary flair. At 38, Gaga revisits the vibrant sounds that defined her early career, delivering her most energetic record in over a decade.
Gaga’s last entry was the Pandemic-Era electropop album Chromatica which received muted reactions from critics and fans for its competent yet impersonal EDM sound. But that’s in the past as, with Mayhem, Gaga revives the messy and theatrical persona that made her a global phenomenon two decades ago.
An early standout is one of the singles, “Abracadabra”, which echoes the hypnotic energy from her past eras, setting the tone for what the record will be. “Garden of Eden” continues this momentum, showcasing Gaga’s ability to craft catchy hooks. “Perfect Celebrity” offers a sharp critique of fame’s superficiality, reflecting her matured perspective on stardom.
One of the album’s more tame moments, the slick, Taylor Swift-adjacent “How Bad Do U Want Me,” nearly didn’t make the cut. Gaga’s fiancé, Michael Polansky, persuaded her to keep it, believing fans would appreciate its playful nod to her “bad girl” image.
One of the album’s more polarizing songs is “Killah,” which Gaga recently performed on SNL. The song is very much Prince-inspired but incredibly fresh as Gaga puts her stamp on it, a personal highlight from the album.
The album is indeed a return to the darker and more experimental edge of Gaga, but despite that, the album exudes a controlled exuberance. The album’s back half stumbles, weighed down by its self-referential tendencies, and nowhere is this more apparent than its closing track, “Die With a Smile.” A duet with Bruno Mars, the song is inoffensive but entirely at odds with the rest of Mayhem’s aesthetic. Where the album otherwise leans into its darker, more experimental edges, this feels like a detour, a strategic concession to marketability rather than a natural conclusion.
Nevertheless, through Mayhem, Lady Gaga embraces her pop persona with renewed vigor, delivering an album that is both a nod to her past and a bold step toward her future.
