Track Reacts - Chromatica//Lady Gaga

Chromatica hits you in the mouth with all the beauty of a rainbow, but falls just short of the double rainbow I secretly want

DISCLAIMER

Now I am by no means an authority on music or its crafting. In fact, the extent of my music ability is being blessed enough to be able to sing on beat. But its the internet and i've got nothing better to do so here's my opinion anyway

    Hi there, welcome to what I hope is the start of a new series on this blog where I give my first impressions of new music. Welcome to what I am tentatively calling Track Reacts. 

If you were nice enough to read the red text above this, you'd know that I love music and would love to hopefully have at least one album over the course of my life but am otherwise woefully lacking in the musical skills department.

Now you might be asking yourself then, what credibility do you, Mannifred Quinnzelle, have to critique music that's been labored on by people vastly more talented than yourself? 

None. None at fucking all. But here we go anyway my lovelies.

Because I'm an OG Little Monster, I thought it was only fitting that I make this first piece about Lady Gaga's triumphant return to dance-pop in her latest release, Chromatica. I have stanned Gaga through every era she's had but I will say that my little gay heart was made so unbelievably happy by her going back to her roots and working with BloodPop again. I'm still waiting on Telephone Part 2 btw. 

It's hard for me to be completely objective seeing as I just love her and her art so much, but this series is going to be built on spilling the tea and stating facts. After all, facts are facts America.

And so, here is a track by track review of Chromatica from my pov.

Chromatica I (1:00)

Right from jump, the score of this makes it feel like you're about to enter the high fantasy world of a teenage summer blockbuster. It swells with hope and promise, setting the stage for what is sure to be the biggest conflict the Kindness Punks are yet to face.

Alice (2:58)

For those of you who were able to get into gay clubs through completely legal means  before quarantine, this track embodies the moment when you finally get in, and the bass blasting through the floor fills you with excitement because you know tonight's gonna be good. Alice sets up a theme of Alice in Wonderland for the tracks following it, a lofty goal that I'm sure Gaga will have no problem reaching. 

Stupid Love (3:13)

This is what quintessential pop looks like. While I give respect to the pop goddesses that have come before, nobody seems to know how to craft a pop song quite like Gaga. Stupid Love combines the old 'get em with the hook' Gaga with the new freedom she's allowed herself in her music to showcase the depth of her range.

Rain On Me (3:02)

There is nothing quite like Gaga just saying something to a pounding beat. That, my dears, is power. Gaga is in prime form like I haven't seen in a bit and delivers exactly what I want and need from a collab between her and Ari. I was honestly a little scared after the Florence feature on Joanne seemed to not utilize the strengths of both powerhouses to its fullest. But Rain On Me showers me with pure pop goodness. My one reservation though, every time I hear this song, it feels like its being diluted just the slightest. I'm unsure if its perhaps the small reverb on the track, poor speaker performance on my devices, or my fast approaching deafness from sitting in front of the tv as a child while it was on blast.

Free Woman (3:11)

April showers bring May flowers but it looks like climate change is going to tamper with the seasons just bit more. Free Woman is empowering and clean and what I've come to expect from Gaga but it feels like right when it feels like it should kick over into high gear towards the beginning of the track, it diverts for a mellow approach. You can still dance to this and find joy in life again, it just feels like the super fun parts of the song wait just one step behind the procession.

Fun Tonight (2:53)

I don't know if this is relatable, but you know those songs that you play when you're driving down a stretch of road with your hand out the window feeling the breeze falling through your fingers and you imagine that you're living a movie and this is the soundtrack? This is that. Also her belting that note reminds me so much of that meme of that cowboy just yelling at top of his lungs that I wish I could find because it will haunt me until I die. This track feels like Fame Monster Gaga in a really nostalgic and heartwarming way. Not the super produced mega pop hits, but rather the more tame companion pieces on that album where we learned more about the artist behind the meat dress. However, the flow of the album feels like it encounters a little pebble in the stream here, a ripple and wrinkle just ever so much out of place. 

Chromatica II (0:42)

This is where you feel the conflict rising as the antagonist of this high fantasy film has set successful plans in motion to thwart our hero, but our hero won't give up yet and works even harder in a sick training montage (probably featuring a dragon or something, idk, I haven't seen Game of Thrones)

911 (2:52)

This is truly where the absolute bangers on this albums start. The mechanical voice effect that they put on Gaga juxtaposed against her soft, breathy high register is everything. Like I said earlier, I would literally listen to her read me the nutritional facts from a box of pasta (get it, cuz she's Italian) and this track only emboldens that feeling for me. It feels like this track pulled the best parts of ARTPOP's daring electronic choices and refined them which is saying a lot because I'm in the vocal minority that ARTPOP stands as one of her best studio projects. 

Plastic Doll (3:42)

My astrology friends told me that the reason that I love this song is because I'm a Cancer. I don't know what that means exactly and I'm definitely not crying about it but I assume it has to do with the powerful hook that literally tells men to stop playing with my goddam emotions. It's strong and piercing in just the right spots while still delivering the message underneath that Gaga has always put forth of being a human behind all the fame and glitz and glamour. 

Sour Candy (2:38) 

Let's take a moment. This song. Is so fucking good. I literally don't know what to do with myself. The bass hits you right in the solar plexus like the climax of a DJ's set and does not care if you've put your seatbelt on. Gaga sounds like the electronic god of a world I want nothing more than to live in forever. The almost deadpan nature of her delivery only makes it that much better. Not to mention the BLACKPINK girls are doing the amazing work they always do on a track. I literally see crowds of people vogueing across the floor to this song every time I close my eyes. That's the world liberals want and its a beautiful one. 

Enigma (3:00)

I'm gonna say it outright. I hereby claim this song for the queers. Flag placed. I know its a given considering the fanbase she has but I needed to say it. I'm going to be completely honest, I teared up a little bit at this track which I know is probably not the intended emotional response but I did nonetheless. Being a non-binary person, in my experience, it's very difficult to find someone who loves you for you because it requires them to learn so much of a worldview that they've never considered. And so it often feels like a very daunting task to find someone who's attraction stems from liking you for the person you are. But this track makes me feel less burdened by being a unicorn, an enigma. In fact, I'll gladly be your enigma so you can figure out my lovely puzzle. Break the stigma.

Replay (3:06)

This track starts with what I can only explain as Mamma Mia finding disco (which I understand doesn't make sense because ABBA, but bear with me). It's close to what I imagine disco would have sounded like in Little Italy during its heyday and it's just so correct. But then the beat drops and I receive a government check for my entire life. I don't know if this is a universal thing, but this track just makes me want to get up and spin around. I truly hope that makes sense. 

Chromatica III (0:28)

Here is where the cavalry, led by the hero themself, crests over the hill for the final battle, an army behind them. But unlike a lot of formulaic movies where the antagonist defeats them for them to only come back stronger in the third act, instead the heroes just stare them down like this and then proceed to throw hands.

Sine From Above (4:05)

There is a lot of investment and build into the crescendo in this track but the payoff never feels quite right when it happens. This is an amazing track but I constantly feel like I'm on the edge of glory (wink) waiting for the big moment to hit me like the bigger, more grandiose hits did on the tracks before this. Everyone likes a tease but I'm not one of those people, I've never had the patience to weather the wait. Even at the end of this track, there is so much potential that crazed electronic mayhem that I feel should have been allowed to play out longer to let it explore itself. Also lowkey, almost didn't clock this as Elton John  until I read the feature. I'm glad that she put him on the same album as Ariana and BLACKPINK so that a different demographic can be exposed to his work. 

1000 Doves (3:35)

The production on this track is great at hitting the point it needs to but I'd like to say something controversial yet brave. I know it doesn't really fit for a dance-pop album, but I would love to see a more stripped-down version of this track where we're just treated to Gaga's powerful vocals over maybe a lone piano. That being said, the comparative mellowness of this track is appreciated as the album winds itself down. This is the part of the night where you're sweaty and dehydrated and you need water and food and also to go to bed. 

Babylon (2:42)

This is the good song you leave the club to strutting your cheeks out and your friends have to stop you from keeping the night going. It's fun, quirky, and just so incredibly Gaga. It is almost the perfect send-off except my only complaint would be that I'd like it to be longer. Imagine how many vogue battles would have to be cut short because of where this song naturally ends. A tragedy, truly.

Top Tracks

🥇 Sour Candy (ft. BLACKPINK)

🥈 Enigma 

🥉 Rain On Me (ft. Ariana Grande)

Final Thoughts

I absolutely adore this album because it's what I've wanted from a studio Gaga album for a long time now and its been delivered to my doorstep with a cute bow (thank you Amazon Prime but like eat the rich 👀). But if I'm going to be critical, which is what I want this series to be built on, it feels just the least bit hollow. Maybe I'm asking too much for a dance-pop album to carry the emotional breadth and depth of her more personal endeavors, but it feels as though Gaga herself is missing from this album. ARTPOP showcased her at the purest form of a distillation of what it means to be a pop star and it almost ate her alive to be that raw. Not that this feels impersonal, but I don't feel Gaga in all the tracks the way I usually do. She's there and she's giving it, but there's a slight disconnect for me. But I will love and accept this album for what it is, a gift to all of her fans who've been with her for her career. And I'm so incredibly grateful for that. Maybe the deluxe version will have more musical meals for me to feast on.

-xoxo

M Quinn🌹🌈