Bring On the MAYHEM
Lady Gaga. MAYHEM (Interscope, 2025).
The wait is over, and Lady Gaga has given us fire again.
It’s been five years since Lady Gaga released a new album. Her last album, Chromatica, came out during the pandemic and its uptempo dance beats made the bleakness of that time a little more bearable. Her latest album was supposed to be released in January, but Gaga decided to wait since it was right after the devastating Los Angeles fires. After a couple of months, she unleashed MAYHEM to her fans, and it did not disappoint.
The first single, “Die With a Smile”, was released in 2024. For those of you living under a rock, it was a collaboration with Bruno Mars, and the song was well-received. Then she released “Disease” about a month ago, followed by the instant hit “Abracadabra”. All three singles got her fans hyped for the new album.
You know how some artists will release their best hits on an album before the whole thing comes out, and then the rest of the songs are just meh? MAYHEM has plenty of tracks that are just as good as the three singles, and they all create a rounded pop album of dance hits, with some of them being a callback to her earlier songs.
“Garden of Eden” is reminiscent of “Poker Face” and “Don’t Call Tonight” brings in “Alejandro” vibes. It would make sense to bring back some of the qualities from her previous hits, especially since they are so memorable and loved. The two songs are different from each other, with “Garden of Eden” being a dancefloor gem, but “Don’t Call Tonight” is also terrific.
Although the entire album is excellent, “Zombieboy” and “Love Drug” are in the running for the top three, if I had to choose. These two songs are in the middle of the album and keep the Gagafest going strong. “Zombieboy” is giving that glitzy, disco babe sound, and “Love Drug” comes in and keeps the groove alive.
Lady Gaga is known for reinventing herself for each new album, bringing new looks and new sounds to her fans. I like that MAYHEM has some songs that sound like some of her older tunes, but still has enough new mixes for a fresh appeal. Once again, Gaga has delivered a phenomenal album.