Lady Gaga — Chromatica
Gaga returns to light up the dance floor with over-the-top but addicting dance-pop
Didn’t expect this one? It does sort of violate the rules of the blog but if you look closely, there are no rules and Chromatica is an earworm that really should be talked about. It’s an accessible dance music record that sees a bunch of fandoms crossover, and I’m genuinely chuffed to talk about this album and its influences to those who might be curious about dipping their toes into the classics of dance.
Although, this will probably completely invalidate what I say, but, I’ll be honest… I’ve never really been the biggest Lady Gaga fan. It’s just not my thing, okay! Feel free to turn away now if you hate me, BUT read on because I absolutely think Chromatica, down to its core, is a very accessible dance music album and it’s a damn good one.
Gaga says the album is a journey and I’m inclined to agree. The record is split into three sections, Chromatica I-III, and there’s a clear sonic through line as each section is divided by orchestral interludes that help each track on the album build slowly into a love letter to 90s dance music.
It all starts and sets the tone with the pop house energy of Alice, a number that has Gaga looking for wonderland and beginning the story of her mental recovery while writing the album. She’s tired of screaming, and the only thing she’ll be doing is searching for wonderland and all of it underpinned by a classic house string section, vocodered vocals and a soft energetic pad.
Stupid Love builds on the pop-inspired tone with an electro-fused vocal cutting monster of a tune that spills into Rain On Me. The Ariana Grande team-up feels inspired by the French Touch (think Daft Punk, Stardust, Cassius) as it heavily filters its guitars and keeps the bass funky and low. Ariana’s vocals chorusing with Gaga’s make this one impossible to not groove to.
The record does fall short in parts, namely the Skrillex and Madeon driven numbers Plastic Doll and 911. 911 drops a bit of the energy in exchange for an crunchy 8-bit vibes. Plastic Doll throws Gaga back to the pop pit with a low slung, grumbly bass bit that feels just that little bit out of place in the grand design of the album.
However, the following six track sandwich really make Chromatica a winner.
Sour Candy sees Gaga pairing up with K-Pop group Blackpink that throws us back to 2009 with a high-passed lead. Enigma shows us signs of what’s to come with big room strings, sax one shots and a deliciously bouncy funk bass. Replay brings the big room energies with more of the French touch influences, flubby kick drums, bubblegum pop vocals, heavily filtered vocal cuts and perfectly looped and sculpted samples.
Sine from Above rips from the Trance playbook with Elton John showing up to the party. The track leads the charge with a Sausage Fattened, euphoric lead and aided wonderfully by Elton John’s lower baritone; Elton’s vocals help Gaga’s from getting lost in the higher frequencies of the track’s lead. It all seems pretty straightforward until it takes one of the biggest 180s in pop music when it tails out into a chopped up amen break driven drum and bass bit for 30 seconds. Hearing that filled me with hope that Gaga attempted to communicate a little more with the JUNGLE MASSIVE… sadly not!
Babylon, arguably the biggest highlight of the album, is a callback to the classic early 90s house music, the rolling Korg M1 keys, gospel backups attacking in and out and then on the backup with Gaga’s vocals. Gaga talks about gossip, babbling on, and her message to us is to keep dancing. The tune is a true closer that coalesces all the sounds Gaga explored throughout the album, but her story to all of us is to serve it ancient city style (I guess dance like those in the past?), walk a mile while ignoring the gossip. It feels a bit cheesy, but it’s inspiring, filled with hope and love and if you go back into the 90s classics that’s all the sounds and feelings you’ll find.
Now, I’ve seen a few arguments that Chromatica isn’t overly complex or new and, sure, I can agree with that in some respects; it doesn’t present anything new to dance music, it’s heavily influenced by the past and calls upon some aged sounds.
Yet, it’s not a boring record by any standard. I don’t really care because Chromatica does an exemplary job of making me dance in the first place. People might hate it, but those people are the ones holding onto their drinks and bodies for dear life at the bar while the rest of us are getting sweaty.
I’m currently writing freelance and sometimes a good coffee from my local sustains me! If you click the little button here you can chuck a coffee my way to write more and produce a few more podcasts! I’ll be eternally grateful.
