It’s been teased from the high heavens but it’s here, it’s finally with us. Lady Gaga has blessed the world with her sixth studio album, Chromatica. PEDESTRIAN.TV’s Music & Culture Editor Courtney Fry and Weekend Editor Alasdair Duncan stayed up to midnight to sit at the altar of Mother Monster and drink from her cup overflowing with talent, so please enjoy their track-by-track first thoughts on the new album.
Strap in and hang onto your disco stick, baby. We’re hitting the dancefloor.
Feel free to hit play and listen along to Chromatica while we dissect it.
Courtney: First of all, can we please discuss how Gaga literally dropped a single THREE HOURS before the album landed? She simply Does Not Give A Fuck about the rules of single release drips. This is Gaga’s world and we’re all simply existing within it.
Also, let me preface this by saying that I tried so hard to stay up until midnight, but I fully dozed off in bed at 11.30pm and then woke up with a shock at 12.10am, so my notes here are mostly from my groggy brain. Maybe it makes it better, who knows. It’s all total chaos anyway because that’s my brain.
Alasdair: Before we kick off, I just wanna say that the pop girls have REALLY been coming through for us in isolation. This past couple of weeks we’ve had full albums from Carly Rae Jepsen and Charli XCX and a fantastic EP from Dagny, and I’ve barely finished digesting Rina Sawayama and Dua Lipa yet. Does Gaga still have the edge to compete with so many excellent releases?
I have to say, I’ve been loving the Chromatica era so far. Gaga has been shamelessly pandering to the gays to the point of flogging off actual jockstraps from her official store. Her Welcome To Chromatica playlist was on Spotify was very promising, too. It was chock full of bangers from Cassius, Frankie Knuckles, LFO and Roger Sanchez and it suggested that we’d be getting an album of hedonistic, sweaty dance floor moments. That’s definitely the antidote we need to these troubled times.
Court: Let’s kick off!
I need a Rick and Morty in Chromatica meme to happen help
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) May 29, 2020
Alasdair: I like an intro track to set the scene, and ‘Chromatica I‘ seems like a fitting welcome to Gaga’s planet. It’s swooning and string-driven, very grand and dramatic and it makes me want to on this journey with her.
Court: So my immediate thoughts here as ‘Chromatica I‘ launches into ‘Alice‘ – all I can think about is how much of a straight-up fucken CRIME it is that nightclubs are closed right now. I need a packed, sweaty dancefloor, and I need it NOW.
This already sounds like we’re deep on a dancefloor in a gay club on Oxford St. Which is a beautiful place to be, I can attest to that. It’s Gaga going back to her thumping arty pop that a lot of people fell in love with the first time around with ‘Just Dance‘ on The Fame back in 2008. 12 years and she’s come to snatch the crown once again.
It’s starting the album out strong, and it’d be all you’d hear if the queer clubs were open and raging right now.
Alasdair: I’m really amused by the lyric “my name isn’t Alice but I’ll keep looking for Wonderland”. It really conjures up an image of someone sweating their tits off at a rave circa 2002 while covered in fluoro paint and searching for spiritual enlightenment. I like the structure of this one too – it builds nicely to a moment of catharsis. We’re off to a promising start!
Court: ‘Stupid Love‘ works so much better as part of a whole here. It’s def good on its own, but as soon as you fit it into the flow of the album it’s like that feeling of finishing a puzzle. Also, huge Robyn vibes here that I never realised before. Why do I feel like this could mix really well into ‘Dancing On My Own‘ or ‘Call Your Girlfriend‘?
Alasdair: I definitely hear a Robyn influence. I have to say with this one, my friend pointed out that the title ‘Stupid Love’ is basically just a variation of ‘Bad Romance‘ and now that’s all I can think about. Look out for ‘Terrible Fling‘, the lead single from Gaga’s next album!
I mean seriously.. @ladygaga thanks for making my life better . 8years , I love you more than WiFi 😭 see you soon in Paris pic.twitter.com/8wVcamupkm
— jiahao_huang (@Da_HUANGFR) May 29, 2020
Court: Ah, ‘Rain On Me‘. The Ariana Grande collab. I feel like this could have gone pear-shaped so easily but instead, it’s turned out into the number one song that’ll be playing at every gym you step into for the next year and a half. Monotone talking Gaga is always going to be a hilarious thing to listen to. Issa bop, hunnies. You cannot deny.
Alasdair: I was really feeling this song last weekend and listened to it about a hundred times. It was the perfect teaser to get us really hyped up for Chromatica. I like the blending of Gaga and Ariana’s voices and the track really reminds of the Armand Van Helden remix of ‘Professional Widow‘, a high watermark for deranged ’90s bangers. A friend of mine said it sounds like a dance remix of a song rather than the actual song, but I don’t really see the problem with that.
Court: OK we’re now five (5) songs into this huge 16-track album and we’re yet to have a rest from the dance floor? Wow, the devil works hard, y’know?
‘Free Woman‘ one feels very anthemic, like she’s angling to have this used at Mardi Gras or maybe muscle in on RuPaul’s monopoly on drag race runway performances? Is Gaga telling us she’s a guest judge in the next RPDR season? Do I just need to go to back to sleep? Probably, yes.
Alasdair: I kind of love it when a dance track has lyrics that are just a series of affirmations: “I’m a free woman!”; “This is my dance floor I fought for!”; “We own the downtown!” It feels like Gaga is seconds away from just shouting “gay rights!” to really bring this one home.
The fact that gay clubs are closed while all of this is happening is very homophobic. #Chromatica
— Gaga Daily (@gagadaily) May 29, 2020
Court: ‘Fun Tonight‘ … Ok is this our gentle ballad bop? Wait no there’s a swelling drum line here. Oooh, baby yes this sounds like some serious singing-on-rooftops kinda shit.
OK here’s the drop, here we go baby.
…Oh. Gaga, you tease, C’mon.
Right, ‘Fun Tonight‘ is clearly a bit of a filler, a little breather after spending four whole songs losing our shit on the dance floor. And that’s not a bad thing! Filler is important, it can break up albums, or shift between moments and themes. We love well-placed filler tracks.
Alasdair: The twist in the lyrics is that Gaga is NOT having fun tonight! She references some older songs like ‘Paparazzi‘ and ‘The Fame‘ in this one, and she sings about being disappointed in herself, as if she’s feeling the pressure to return to those early days of bangers and bops. “I feel like I’m in a prison hell / Stick my hands through the steels bars and yell” – does someone need to check on Gaga?
Court: It seems the Chromatica instrumental tracks are to build up for each phase of the album. Because ‘Chromatica II‘ into ‘911‘ is…huge. What a transition! I got some goosebumps honey!! I’m gooped, my wig is snatched, and I’ve gotta check into Royal Melbourne for serious whiplash.
Alasdair: One general observation at this point – all of these songs so far are fun and boppy, but they are all quite short, and nothing really sticks out. I would love her to cut loose with a seven-minute rave-up at some point. I like ‘911‘ though – it’s a little darker and chillier than the first part of the album, with a bit of an ’80s Eurythmics influence, maybe.
Between this and Gigi Goode’s Snatch Game character, sexy robots are really having a moment.
Court: I dunno about you, but ‘Plastic Doll‘ feels like some real classic Gaga. I’m into it, but also feels like a bit of a filler. You know my feelings on filler, it’s essential. A good bop-your-head-while-waiting-at-the-bar-for-a-vodka-soda vibe. Important to the whole experience.
Alasdair: The lyrics to this one confused me. Gaga is a plastic doll with blonde hair and cute accessories, but she’s also not your plastic doll! Which is it? Either way, she wants a real boy to come play with her. Fun.
Court: ‘SOUR CANDY’. Now here we go! It’s the ‘Swish Swish‘ of 2020, baby. No literally, that synth loop is like 100% ‘Swish Swish‘. Someone get Duke Dumont on the phone I need to know if this was his doing. And I know I’m not the only one who hears this.
I made the joke last night when Gaga dropped this 3hrs before the album (lol why not) that Duke Dumont was wrong about releasing an album being the worst career move you could make. Turns out it was actually giving production loop stems to multiple pop queens. Because holy shit is this intentional, or coincidence?
Either way, I can’t wait for the eventual Mash’d N Kutcher mash-up to appear on YouTube within the week.
Alasdair: Reaction to this one was mixed among my friends, but as the only living person who actually Stans Katy Perry‘s Witness album, I actually appreciate the ‘Swish Swish‘ reference. I also think it’s a power move that Gaga’s vocals don’t even kick in until a minute into the song. Bringing in BLACKPINK is a smart way to get the K-Pop fans on board.
get in we’re going to chromatica @ladygaga pic.twitter.com/VVyexS1DFb
— nico 🍒 (@fkanico) May 29, 2020
Court: Track 11. We’re past halfway. It’s ‘Enigma‘ and my GOD this makes me think of something. It’s like, peak 80s/90s queer club bop. There’s something in the combo of bongos, the hard snare that nearly sounds like a clap (?) and the horns that reminds me so much of like…backcombed hair and the smell of Cedel hairspray. It 100% sounds like it could be like a b-side to Haddaway’s ‘What Is Love‘. That’s the vibe I’m getting here, and it’s good as hell.
Alasdair: I like the pumping beats and the strings and Gaga’s displaying some real vocal power on ‘Enigma’, although I have to say, Chromatica is not going quite as hard as I wanted it to just yet.
Court: ‘Replay‘ is just some pure disco floor-filler goodness. This is STUNNING. If the video clip for this isn’t Gaga in some absolutely insane outfit on a rollerskating rink I’m going to be furious. Or she has a huge Farrah Fawcett blowout and the most outrageous flares imaginable.
Also, can we all agree that pop has absolutely gone from very toppling sugary goodness to absolutely filthy base sweaty perfection? Like, half this album could be mistaken for club hits played at 2am when you’re teetering on that point where you know the time and then suddenly it’s 4am and you’re on your way for a kebab? Good. Glad we agree.
Wow.. Gaga said “this is pop”. And I believed it on May 28th 2020
— Adore Delano (@AdoreDelano) May 29, 2020
Alasdair: ‘Replay‘ is fun! I’m liking this little disco interlude.
Court: Chrom III, here we go on the next phase of the album. Is this – dare I say it – a concept album?
The transition here is good, but not as jaw-dropping and full-body-goosebumps as the one into ‘911‘ earlier.
But also ELTON FUCKING JOHN. Holy S H I T this is great.
Alasdair: I’m weirdly getting a little bit of Kylie’s ‘On A Night Like This‘ from ‘Sine From Above‘. With Elton John on this track, it would want to be gayer than a glory hole covered in glitter on Fire Island and it’s kind of getting there. It’s pumping pretty hard. This is much more of what I wanted from Chromatica.
Court: Gaga’s done the collab selection well here, I reckon. Instead of just making it wall-to-wall features and collabs, she’s put one in each phase/chapter of this album. Each of them serves their own perfect purpose of that chapter’s mood, and it’s so well-executed.
Ariana is all about this classic modern pop sound from the prime years of iconic pop music, BLACKPINK feels like it’s all about the future of pop and how it’s transforming into this real belly-of-the-technical-beast energy. It’s dark and angry, and not as sweet-angel-next-door as the 90s and 00s. And Elton John’s feature is reflecting back on where pop came from, honouring the legends that came before now. And is this….this is just straight 90s rave now. Wow, what a MOOD.
Elton John on a dance track is everything I never knew I needed #Chromatica
— Gaga Daily (@gagadaily) May 28, 2020
Court: Ok the last couple of moments of the album. ‘1000 Doves‘, a good winding down filler track. You simply have to put filler after an Elton John song, it’s just courteous and respectful to that level of pop royalty. You cannot try and outshine Elton. You have to respect The Queen.
(Native Writer Louis Costello popped his head in here to comment on ‘1000 Doves‘: “It sounds like that Parks & Rec skit where Andy has to make a better song than ‘Candle in the Wind’ so he writes ‘5000 Candles in the Wind. This is the only album that’s ever made me question my general taste in music. I’ve never been a fence-sitter before but this is testing me.“)
Alasdair: I have to say, I’m actually loving ‘1000 Doves’, sorry guys. “Flying like 1000 doves” is such a beautifully dumb concept. This is what I really wanted from this album – a lot of these songs just pump along without much variation but ‘1000 Doves‘ has a real sense of tension in the verses and release in the choruses, which I love. I really wanna dance with my hands in the air to this one.
https://twitter.com/christianjay_16/status/1266162066349371392?s=20
Court: ‘Babylon‘ – is there where we hear a slight hint of SOPHIE’s PC pop production here? Someone get me the linear notes, stat.
Also, this is just straight-up Madonna‘s ‘Vogue‘. From the percussions to 80s synths to the sax to Gaga’s monotonous, dominant, instructive vocals. This is ‘Vogue‘ up and down, back to front. It’s huge, and this is gonna have people death dropping in shockwaves across the world.
Alasdair: She’s so into Vogueing right now.
Court: Jesus fucking Christ on a bike I just want clubs to open back up already. I need to boog right now.
Alasdair: Final thoughts? Chromatica is a fun and poppy album, upbeat throughout. Most of the tracks clock in at three minutes, and I wish there were a little longer and had more time to breathe and really go mental, but the highs are definitely high.
