Lady Gaga - MAYHEM

Subtlety has long been a forgotten art for Lady Gaga. Even in her sidesteps away from pop since the release of last album proper, 2020’s ‘Chromatica’, the global powerhouse has ramped up her stylistic fundamentals to the very top; a saving grace in the case of the universally panned Joker film sequel, where she delivered an unashamed all-out homage to jazz on its accompanying covers album. It’s no surprise, then, that this self-proclaimed return to her pop roots arrives with such loud confidence.

It’s easy to forget across the album’s fourteen commercial pop bullets that Gaga somewhat single-handedly kickstarted a chart revolution with 2008’s ‘The Fame’, a record that easily sets the foundation for the immediacy of ‘MAYHEM’. She foregoes reinvention for a tried and tested formula already her own, even the most straightforward track here - ‘How Bad Do U Want Me’ - brimming with her distinctive energy. Its insatiable catchy chorus provides yet another example of Gaga’s skills for unfiltered earworms.

Its knowing take on fame is, too, a companion to the foreshadowing of her debut. “You love to hate me” she offers on ‘Perfect Celebrity’, in lyrics alone a sister to ‘The Fame”s ‘Paparazzi’. It joins a series of brilliantly camp, often theatrical numbers that pair Lady Gaga’s unfaltering legacy with a consistent playful bite. On the surface a tale of a misunderstood werewolf, ‘The Beast’ could just as easily be interpreted as the push and pull of life in the limelight – the intricate balance between Lady Gaga and Stefani Germanotta. Yet ultimately ‘MAYHEM’ blurs the line between the two, in its sheer pop-filled joy offering the fresh conclusion that they are by all accounts the very same; perfectly unsubtle and all-out fun.