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Nawaal Nackerdien/Fourth Estate

BY LOUIS VOLKER, STAFF WRITER

What do musicians like David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, Daft Punk, Prince and Doja Cat all have in common? Lady Gaga, apparently. Gaga’s eighth studio album MAYHEM is finally here after a guerilla marketing scheme that hijacked the Grammys and mounted speculation about her long awaited return to the dance pop/club style that launched her into stardom almost two decades ago. 

I am happy to report that not only is maximalist Gaga back, but she might just be at her very best with MAYHEM, an album that blends together all the best pop and rock sounds since the 1990s and yet still forges even more evolution for the star’s ever-changing style and presence. 

MAYHEM rewinds back to her avante-garde club sound of 2008. This time, she doesn’t allow the pulsating synths and layered percussion to outshine the powerhouse vocals that have dominated her sound over the past five years. Gaga establishes this with the singles “Disease” and “Abracadabra,” the latter of which might be my favorite pop single since “Von Dutch” heralded in Charli XCX’s Brat album rollout. 

Gaga still manages to flex her vocal power without ignoring her ability to use her voice as a fellow instrument on tracks like “Killah” featuring French producer Gesaffelstein, known for his abrasive and percussive approach to electronic music. 

While maintaining her early theme of grunge throughout, as communicated by the black and white album cover art, MAYHEM covers a wide range of influences. References to an almost 2010s sound in tracks like “Perfect Celebrity” recalls groups like Muse and Fall Out Boy while standout track “Zombieboy,” is reminiscent of Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories. Songs like “How Bad Do U Want Me,” undeniably contain sounds inspired by the Jack Antonoff plucky-synth pop music landscape that is forever influenced by Taylor Swift’s 1989 album. 

“Killah” features a perfect blend of inspiration from previous decades of artists in order to create something totally new and awesome. The track manages to combine David Bowie-esque vocals with drums and bass. This creates a late-‘90s Nine Inch Nails demo sound. The organic Prince-like guitar riff compliments her vocals and marries them with the more digital sounds of the track. 

While the entire album is for the most part a seamless product of different references, it is still undeniably Gaga. It balances homage with the reckless originality that made the world take notice of her in 2008 and is more than enjoyable. There is not one song on the album that doesn’t make me want to dance or sing along, and most songs excel at making me want to do both. 

Nawaal Nackerdien/Fourth Estate

If there’s any track that doesn’t fit perfectly within the multitudes of the MAYHEM universe, it’s the hit soul ballad “Die With a Smile.” The Grammy-winning Bruno Mars collaboration topped the charts with its August 2024 release. The smooth, organic production is by no means a bad single, but feels as if Gaga added it to the end of the album out of obligation due to its massive success.

A track such as the album’s 12th song, “The Beast,” would have worked better as an ending to the refreshing homecoming that is MAYHEM and would have provided a more satisfying conclusion to what is already a satisfying return to form. 

MAYHEM heralds a more rock-influenced alternative to the club music that has dominated pop since Charli XCX’s Brat summer of last year. Its perfect marriage of early influences and all of Lady Gaga’s several strengths as a recording artist earns it a rating of 4 out of 5 stars, held back only by a clunky inclusion of “Die With a Smile” to end the album.