CHROMATICA

Hey everyone!

I've had a pretty hectic week so far, I've been working on my portfolio and I am in the process of moving out of my uni house (big sad face here).

Anyway, I didn't plan on reviewing this album but I felt the need to talk about it as it's the first time in a long time that an album has felt like an event, the last one I remember feeling like this was Taylor Swift's Reputation!

Chromatica: An incredible, but incredibly underwhelming release. 9/10

As I am sure you know, Lady Gaga's long-awaited 6th studio album Chromatica was released a few weeks ago.

The album is phenomenal, and I think it is the type of music that will stand the test of time and become a true classic and be seen as a turning point in the music industry. The structure of the album is extremely strong and the journey that it takes you on will absolutely resonate with a part of you. Gaga explores incredibly personal themes such as her history with addiction and I think its really important for her to express that to the world for both herself and the listener.

The infamous leak of Stupid Love clearly did not affect it's chart success which is really impressive, special shoutout to the DJ who supported Kim Petras who played a clip of the leaked track. You are doing the Lord's work!

Rain On Me has become less song and more lifestyle since its release as a single and frankly, it is impossible to listen to the closing track, Babylon, without at the very least tapping a foot (some of us have to create entire dance routines whilst listening to this in the shower). This is helped by the fact that most songs have dance-y backing tracks and beat drops juxtaposing the raw, vulnerable lyrics. This album is the manifestation of dancing through the pain.

The visual side of the album is also outstanding. Gaga's access to a larger budget and some of the best talent in the world has clearly helped her create this world of Chromatica which we are so deeply invested in. The picture above is probably one of the best images I have seen this year, the composition, the leading lines, and the giant spotlight resembling a sun creates a stunning scene.

I still have mixed feelings on the album cover. Whilst I can see why it was chosen as the final cover, I feel as though it is a strange choice considering her discography up to this point.

Most of her previous albums use a mid-shot or a close-up and use Gaga as the focal point, Chromatica is quite the opposite: a wide-shot is used and Gaga is placed on a very complex background which has multiple textures and is overall quite distracting. When viewed on a small screen, as album covers usually are, I don't feel like any component stands out particularly well. Something along the lines of the image from the Stupid Love promo which is a close up of Gaga in costume may have been much stronger.

I also found one major issue found on the 1st listen of the album and I feel it still applies to my 100th listen: around 4 of the songs sound exactly the same.

Now, of course, the album has its distinct sound, but there are songs that serve no purpose on the album in terms of a listening journey and I think could have been used to push the boundaries of her music further. For example, we know that Gaga worked on something with trans PC Music producer and all-round futurist SOPHIE, but this was not present on the album and I think that was a key choice that could have taken the sound to the next level.

Alternately, the songs that have repetitive sounds could have easily been omitted from the tracklist and saved for a deluxe version of the album, demonstrating restraint like Lorde showed in her 11-song sophomore album Melodrama.

I think the problem of repetitive songs hits particularly hard when other notable quarantine releases include SAWAYAMA, an amazing debut album which achieves storytelling feats whilst keeping each song as fresh and punchy as the last, and how i'm feeling now, Charli XCX's adrenaline-fuelled, 'Leo energy' lockdown masterpiece which challenges the way we view and consume music entirely.

As I end this segment, I should really reiterate that Chromatica is a strong Album of the Year contender but easy fixes could have made it flawless.

Thanks for reading and ill see you in the next one which is potentially going to be movie-themed!

Naz

xoxo