Welcome back to “Perfect Pitch,” a series where members of the Belmont Vision’s senior staff review the latest releases in music and look for the next big thing.
This week, we’re reviewing the latest studio album from American singer, songwriter and actress Lady Gaga. Her seventh album, “Mayhem,” dropped on March 7 via Interscope Records.
Gaga’s last studio album, "Chromatica," was released in May 2020 after being delayed through the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Despite its drawn-out start, she scored her sixth No. 1 hit with “Rain on Me” featuring Ariana Grande and hosted the record’s tour, The Chromatica Ball, in 2022.
In September 2024, Gaga released a conceptual album, “Harlequin,” to pair with her character in the film “Joker: Folie á Deux.” Both projects were met with little fanfare. “Disease” was released as the lead single from “Mayhem” the following month.
Ria Skyer – Senior Arts Writer
Overall Rating: 9/10
General Thoughts: “Mayhem” returns back to Lady Gaga’s pop roots in a big way.
Her songwriting toes the line between camp and profundity more than ever between wanting to wear her lover’s skin in “Killah” to mourning a past with someone on “Vanish Into You.”
The production top-to-bottom is deeply intricate and keeps a consistent upbeat pace throughout the track list. Sound splices like the distorted guitars on “Garden of Eden” and disco synths on “Zombieboy” add more referential points to album and grounds it for listeners. Gaga sticks to her guns and sticks to delivering bangers.
The down-tempo descent from “The Beast,” “Blade of Grass,” then into “Die With A Smile” feels slightly unsatisfactory as ending considering how bombastically the album begins with “Disease.”
Favorite Song: Zombieboy
Least Favorite Song: Blade of Grass
Favorite Lyric: “My heart is in a bind, if I could bear it on my own, I wouldn’t try so hard to numb what’s left behind,” from LoveDrug.
How is this record a “return to form” for Gaga? Where does it enter new territory?:
Gaga is never someone to do the same thing twice, so the grunge and rock inspirations she takes from for “Mayhem” feel like a natural addition to her soundscape and discography. The album feels most authentic and distinctly Gaga through the visuals offered in music videos for “Disease” and “Abracadabra,” which shift personas that slightly lean into horror. The most striking part of this rollout, especially in comparison to Chromatica’s, is the mystique around “LG7” has finally cleared! Both her fans and the general public seemed more ready to receive new content.
Zach Watkins – Arts and Entertainment Editor
Overall Rating: 8/10
General Thoughts: Mayhem offers a wide variety of sounds and textures to chew on. Harkening back to her early work Lady Gaga reminds audiences with this album that the time for “dark pop” has not left with the 2010s decade. This album masterfully weaves together sounds of new and old from Gaga's repertoire and acts as a perfect revitalization of the persona that audiences fell in love with.
Favorite Song: Garden Of Eden
Least Favorite Song: Blade of Grass
Favorite Lyric: “You're turnin' green from the adrenaline" - Garden Of Eden
How is this record a return to form for Gaga? Where does it enter new territory?:
This album harkens back to the golden age of Gaga who wasn’t afraid to delve into the macabre dark pop that inspires her. With deep synths and frantic beats this high energy album brings back the aesthetic of what made her popular without reaching too far like how “Chromatica” felt. With the album sitting at number one on the Billboard top 100, it is clear that fans agree that “mother monster” is back and now more than ever embracing her dark side.
Haley Ramsey – Arts Writer
Overall Rating: 7/10
General Thoughts: After hearing Abracadabra before any other tracks, I was really surprised at the overall sound and production of the album. I expected songs like “Disease” and “Zombieboy” but found songs like “Killah” and “LoveDrug” to be a refreshing change of pace. I loved how there were elements of her early work sprinkled throughout the album such as the classic electronic sound alongside more slowed-down pop ballads. Mayhem showed that Gaga can still write ear-worm club hits and isn’t afraid to be unconventional but now has a more polished and mature musical style. "Mayhem" is full of heartfelt lyrics but it’s also an album that’s just fun and makes you want to get up and dance, which is arguably the best part of Gaga’s music.
Favorite Song: LoveDrug
Least Favorite Song: Die With A Smile - I chose this because it felt out of place with the rest of the album and wasn’t the best choice to end on in my opinion.
Favorite Lyric: “I taste the last words that you spoke to me like wine/My heart is in a bind, if I could bear it on my own/I wouldn't try so hard to numb what's left behind” - LoveDrug
How is this record a return to form for Gaga? Where does it enter new territory?:
Upon my first listen, the first half of "Mayhem" felt like an ode to her earlier works like “Born This Way” or “Art Pop”. It seemed as though Gaga was trying to prove that she could still write songs for club goers to dance to, but by the time I reached “How Bad Do U Want Me” I realized this album had much more range than I expected. There was a level of vulnerability that I didn’t expect with songs like “Blade Of Grass” and a lot of the writing and production had a very classic pop sound while still featuring Gaga’s unique style. While some of it felt a little commercial compared to her older work—and even formulaic at times—it was a fun departure from some of the recent work Gaga has put out and I could easily see a few of the tracks being hits this summer.
Nolan Russell– Senior Arts Writer
Overall Rating: 6/10
General Thoughts: This album was fun, but not my favorite ever. I’m not the biggest Lady Gaga “stan” but I can appreciate an album for what it is at face value. I had high expectations based on the lead singles, but the meat of the album was just alright. As users on Twitter, sorry X, would say she “reheated nachos” by creating music that sounded oddly similar to hits by other big artists. A prime example of this was “How Bad Do You Want Me?” which sounded like a rejected B-side from Taylor Swift’s album “1989.”
Favorite Song: Abracadabra
Least Favorite Song: How Bad Do You Want Me?
Favorite Lyric: “I could play the doctor I can cure your disease, if you were a sinner I could make you believe”
How is this record a “return to form” for Gaga? Where does it enter new territory?:
What had me most excited about this Gaga album was how reminiscent “Abracadabra” was to her earlier work. There were a few songs on the album that had this vibe, and it was a much-needed return to what made her music so popular. I wish she’d leaned further into that, as when she tried something new on this record it either fell flat or as stated before, ripped off the sound of another artist.
Nick Rampe – Senior Sports Writer
Overall Rating: 7.5
General Thoughts: This album is not perfect, but it features a variety of very fun electro-art pop songs. In the past, I’ve thought Lady Gaga was sometimes prone to clunky choruses that hinder the enjoyability of some of her songs. This issue is occasionally present here, but most of the songs are clean and polished and most importantly, enjoyable.
Favorite Song: Disease
Least Favorite Song: Abracadabra
Favorite Lyric: “Saw your face and mine in a picture by our bedside. It was cold in the summertime. We were happy just to be alive.”
How is this record a return to form for Gaga? Where does it enter new territory?:
I’ve never been a big Lady Gaga fan, so I can’t fully attest to how her style has adapted over the years. Still, I thought that the opener, “Disease,” really captured that classic Lady Gaga style. That being said, she explores a wide range of pop styles on this album, with the song “How Bad Do U Want Me” feeling almost reminiscent of a song off of Taylor Swift’s “1989.” It’s clear that she wanted to both return to her roots and experiment as well.