OLIVIA J. BENNETT

I’m an arts writer, researcher and critic based in Australia, open to commissions and collaborations.

I also work as a freelance communications specialist across brand, content and cultural strategy.

If you’d like to see my portfolio or chat about a project, feel free to get in touch.

Gertrude Contemporary Emerging Writers Program | 2020
Melbourne International Film Festival’s Critics Campus | 2019

MAYHEM

Lady Gaga

Written by Olivia J. Bennett
Edited by Isabella Trimboli
Published in print by The Big Issue AU
Issue #735 | 24 April 2025

Her first solo album in 5 years, Little Monster leader Lady Gaga returns with Mayhem, a record made for reviving the worn linoleum of an RSL dancefloor, or soundtracking the leathery, glitter-streaked fixtures of Mediterranean party islands. All 14 tracks congeal into one giant glob, a bouncy, synthetic formula for fabulousness that could pass as either a product or prototype of AI-generated pop. Don’t get me wrong, Gaga’s crystal-clear pop thematics and ultra-slick production smooth the grooves in your brain—effective, if only because it goes down easy. On ‘Disease’, falsetto “Ah aaahs” lure a club bad boy with ham-fisted I can fix him-style lyricism: “Poison on the inside / I could be your antidote tonight”. 'Garden of Eden', plays on the Genesis trope—and, shock horror, it’s not an apple but a boy who’s the temptation: “I could be your girlfriend for the weekend / You could be my boyfriend for the night / My excuse to make a bad decision… Poisoned apple, take a bite (oh)!”. More algo-pop than artpop, Mayhem trades chaos for calculation—but if all you want is a basic beat to bang your head to in a Zara change room, you’re in luck.