REVIEW: MAYHEM – Lady Gaga

Let me be very upfront with y’all–this means something to me. While y’all were saying “Goo goo gaga” as y’all’s first words, I was on YouTube looking up Lady Gaga VEVO, and some of y’all don’t even know what VEVO is. I was watching the Paparazzi music video on repeat. I claimed the song Alejandro was about me. On the multi-day trips to Mexico, I blasted Telephone in the mountains. I was studying Lady Gaga’s dance moves, I was reacting to the meat dress, I was watching the “Lady Gaga exposed as illuminati” videos, and one of the first songs I bought on iTunes was Applause. And while I haven’t kept up with Lady Gaga since Artpop, best believe that I was there when a lot of y’all weren’t. 

After taking a hiatus from music to focus on her acting career, which saw her win an Oscar for A Star is Born, Lady Gaga is back with her new album MAYHEM, ready to reclaim the nachos she’s let others have for so long.

MAYHEM is littered with 80’s style synths, groovy production, and modern EDM style club bangers, with elements of triphop, R&B, and country throughout the album (see on the guitar on Abracadabra, which sounds like a line dancing riff). MAYHEM, as noted by Gaga, follows an electro-grunge atmosphere throughout, but still wears its influence of 80s pop on its sleeves. The production on this album feels refined while not suffocating Gaga’s singing. Nearly all of the production features Cirkut, who worked on 360, Rewind, and 365 from Charli XCX’s BRAT and watt, who has worked with just about every pop star who’s charted. While Cirkut carries over some Brat influence on MAYHEM, the record is more influenced by the era of Rick James, Prince, and Michael Jackson club hits that are all over the keys and basslines on this album. One producer who was mostly missing with me but has one hit was Gesaffelstein, who is featured on easily the worst track on the album–more on that later.

MAYHEM mixes 80s pop and club records with elements of grunge and industrial rock to create uniquely produced tracks, all with their own style and quirks that create a hard-hitting and groovy album. Lady Gaga is amazing on all tracks while making it seem so effortless for her. Notable highlights for me include Shadow Of A Man, LoveDrug, Vanish Into You, Garden Of Eden, and Abracadabra, which features Donkey Kong. The first 11 songs follow the 80s/grunge aesthetic, while the last three songs are more somber and mellow, while featuring some of the best writing and singing on the album.

The aforementioned tracks effortlessly mix the ominous EDM synths and drums alongside the bright and fun production. While MAYHEM doesn’t have the most innovate songwriting, the lyrics never feel out of place or goofy (except one) but instead feel more simplified to get the most out of Gaga’s messages, while still keeping in mind the partying and clubbing aspect. 

Abracadabra is the perfect example of this, with simple yet vivid lyrics with a gothic delivery and atmosphere, complemented by the fun and catchy hook that Donkey Kong ghost-wrote. LoveDrug is an intimate track that makes you want to dance your problems away. The dark bassline and bright synths make a great pairing with the catchiest hook of the album, in my opinion.

Shadow Of A Man is the best example of the 80s influence mixing in with modern club on this album. With bright and EDM-type synths and another groovy bassline from Watt, Gaga channels Bad-era Michael Jackson in this bold and engulfing track.

Perfect Celebrity is the one of the most personal and well-written songs on the album, accompanied by triphop-style synths and drums that give the song this eerie feeling where Gaga’s repressed angst against the industry is finally unleashed as we, the listeners, just so happen to be to hear. 

The final three tracks as mentioned before, The Beast, Blade Of Grass, and Die With A Smile with Bruno Mars are among my favorites on the album that feel like you’re coming down from a night out partying and the anxieties are starting to creeping in. With more personal writing and simplified production, the final three tracks create a more intimate atmosphere that wonderfully close the album.

The Beast once again serves Bad-era Michael Jackson and takes inspiration from Nine Inch Nails production to create the most sensual and passionate track on the album, while Blade Of Grass takes similar industrial rock style production, alongside somber piano, acoustic guitar, and synths that surprisingly accompany the track well. The mad gambler, Bruno Mars, makes an appearance and honestly steals the show from Lady Gaga on “Die With A Smile,” yet, together, they create a sweet and beautiful closer to the album. 

Despite my admiration so far, I do feel a couple of tracks weigh this project down. Zombieboy, while fun and groovy, is mostly carried by its catchy hook and chorus, the verses don’t add substance to the track. The only time I grew tired of the production and the writing was easily while listening to Killah. While the song might be considered fun, the annoying guitar riff and gaudy/bloated synth on this track ruin any semblance of an entertaining track. Gaga is overshadowed by this awful production. Looking under the hood, Gesaffelstein stands out alongside Cirkut and Watt. Though I’m not a fan of his production style, his work on Blade Of Grass should be applauded because it’s a beautiful and sincere track, but this is the exception to his boring and carbon copy production, in my opinion. His only notable skill is ripping off Daft Punk, which is front and center on Killah and, honestly, most of his catalog (see Lost in the Fire by The Weeknd & Gesaffelstein). Yet he showcases he can work better with less, perfectly exemplified on Blade of Grass, where he helps create this sincere and anxious atmosphere, but on Killah, he doesn’t bring anything unique to the table, and it weighs down the entire project. Oh wow, another European producer inspired by Daft Punk and house music–not like we have 80 of them already. Place a modular synth embargo on all of Europe, and while we’re at it, ban The Dare from being within 25 ft of a computer, too.

MAYHEM is a return to an album that’s full of fun and uniquely produced tracks that culminate in an outstanding and emotional three-track finish. Gaga reminds everyone who started this shit with her amazing singing and clear vision. And while some tracks feel underdeveloped and could’ve spent more time in the workshop, the rest of the album makes up for this with better writing and production that make for more entertaining listens.