MAYHEM (Pitchfork review)

To promote her seventh canonical album, MAYHEM , Lady Gaga launched a charm offensive. From holding court in a fans-only press conference to turns on SNL , Hot Ones , and Vanity Fair ’s lie detector series, she has projected an endearingly down-to-earth persona. She even received a question about “reheating nachos”—gay stan chatter suggesting she rehashed old musical ideas in her single “ Abracadabra ”—with grace. “My nachos are mine and I invented them, and I’m proud of them,” she told EW . Talk about truth in advertising: MAYHEM is its own charm offensive, a massive attack of good vibes. It is a project designed to remind listeners why they fell in love with her in the first place, before the jazz belting or the traditional singer-songwriter gravitas or movie stardom. Inspiration from fiancé Michael Polansky, entrepreneur and one of the album’s executive producers, to return to her pop roots prompted an internal surv...