Lady Gaga ‘Chromatica’ review: ‘Mother Monster returns to what she does best on euphoric new album’
Listen to Mother Monster's euphoric new dance-pop record here.
By Will Stroude
After announcing she was pregnant with LG6 in March 2019, and following a delayed due date of April 2020, Lady Gaga has finally birthed her sixth studio album Chromatica.
And what an album it is: One that manages to combine fresh artistic evolution with a fan-pleasing return to what Gaga does best.
If singles ‘Stupid Love’, ‘Rain On Me’, and the newly-released ‘Sour Candy’ featuring K-pop superstars Blackpink indicated a return to Gaga’s electro-pop roots, Chromatica’s 16 tracks see Mother Monster double down on her commitment to producing dancefloor-ready and bangers celebrating freedom and escapism.
Without a single ballad in sight, the record sees Gaga lean into the ’90s techno and house sounds of recent Ariana Grande collab ‘Rain On Me’ on euphoric anthem ‘Free Woman’ and arresting album opener ‘Alice’.
She also experiments with the heavier elements of electronic music on tumultuous tracks like ‘Sine From Above’, featuring longtime friend Elton John (sounding like he’s having the most fun he’s had in years at 73).
The three string section interludes which provide a brief respite from the thumping beats show Gaga is still an artist who enjoys wrong-footing her audience, and while Chromatica is an album of unabashed floor-fillers, the lyrical and melodic idiosyncracies contained within are undeniably, admirably, Gaga.
After experimenting with her public image over the last few years, Chromatica proves that Gaga the pop star is still at her best when carving out a cathartic, inclusive disco for her legions of of Little Monsters. Now we just need to hang on until there’s a dancefloor open to enjoy it on.
Rating: 8/10
Listen to Lady Gaga’s Chromatica below: