MAYHEM
Lady Gaga
The Big Issue Australia
Issue #73524 April 2025
By Olivia J. Bennett
Her first solo album in 5 years, Little Monster leader Lady Gaga returns with Mayhem, a record crafted to revive the worn linoleum of an RSL dancefloor or to soundtrack the leathery, glitter-streaked fixtures of Mediterranean party islands. All 14 tracks blend into one giant blob, a bouncy, synthetic mix for fabulousness that could pass as either a product or prototype of AI-generated pop. Don’t get me wrong, Gaga’s clear pop themes and ultra-slick production smooth the grooves in your mind—effective, if only because it’s easy to digest. On ‘Disease’, falsetto “Ah aaahs” lure a club bad boy with ham-fisted I can fix him lyrics: “Poison on the inside / I could be your antidote tonight”. 'Garden of Eden' plays on the Genesis myth—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 changing room, you’re in luck.