Buckle Up for a Bumpy 2025 from Critics

[Nycboy 964]

Just my opinion, but I think we might be in for a bumpy ride in terms of CRITICAL RECEPTION of Gaga’s new work. I know we are hoping for a magnum opus lauded by critics, but I’m setting some realistic expectations:

- Harlequin is a great album, and it missed critics lists of best albums of 2024. It also barely even got reviewed by critics. It was totally overlooked.

- Disease is a phenomenal song but I believe only Rolling Stone ranked it as top song from 2024. Honestly this deserves a slot on Pitchforks top 100 songs of the year.  

- DWAS also missed critics lists of top songs of 2024. It’s a solid song with huge cultural impact.

- Same with Happy Mistake

- The above show to me that Gaga is being ignored a bit by critics, and not praised as much as she should be.

- LG7 being “chaotic” is not going to help. 

- DWAS being a last minute add on is not going to help. 

- JFAD flopping will affect some critics reviews because as we know sometimes they don’t focus on just the music (see ARTPOP)

Yes, Gaga can still pull off an amazing album and I can’t wait for it. And I understand we haven’t heard it yet, lol. These are just my thoughts and worries out loud. I hope this is her 90+ on Metacritic / Ray of Light era, but I can foresee some shifting tides that she’s up against.

[Edonis 28,663]

Hard disagree, I actually think we're about to see Gar's first album in the upper 80s - low 90s on Metacritic. 

[ryansamonster 1,510]

I disagree too. Disease was on more end-of lists from the Guardian and Slant I believe. The song itself was critically acclaimed from what I saw. 

I think the whole idea of this genre-bending chaotic album could actually be acclaimed if done right. Im also starting to believe this could be a double album of some kind, or split into parts on the track list. 

[Nycboy 964]

4 minutes ago, Edonis said:

Hard disagree, I actually think we're about to see Gar's first album in the upper 80s - low 90s on Metacritic. 

I hope! I’m not saying she can’t make it, and ofc it depends on the music first and foremost 😉 but I’m just pointing out some headwinds she’s facing that I’m starting to notice

[LilyLark 9,908]

Disease was definitely critically acclaimed though, and I'm pretty sure it made more than one list. DWAS didn't have as much acclaim, but I know I saw it on one list, too.

Gaga has "never" been a favorite of the critics (same as Rihanna, Adele, etc.), but I would bet money the MC score is in the 70s at a minimum.

I agree that people expecting like a 90 are overreaching-critics have never f*cked with Gaga that way. But I really doubt the album will be panned or even mixed.

[metalguru 972]

Disease is the only recent Lady Gaga release to earn rave reviews from platforms like Rate Your Music and Album of the Year. Notably, Rate Your Music—a notoriously critical user-based platform, especially toward Gaga’s work—has been particularly positive:

https://rateyourmusic.com/release/single/lady-gaga/disease/

So, instead of complaining, let’s focus on spreading the good word. I truly believe this project has the potential to be a tour de force. The real challenge lies in overcoming Stan culture—and, at times, even the Monsters themselves. If we let ourselves fall into hasty judgments, we’ll only undermine what could be a defining moment for this album.

[Reality 72,088]

I think it'd do well with critics, but maybe not with fans  If today's an indication of anything it's that some people love the idea of a "chaotic" album, but in actuality hate it in practice. The number of people complaining about DWAS being on the record because it "compromises Gaga's artistic integrity" or because it "doesn't sound cohesive" with Disease is wild.

I guarantee you, the darker/electronic/dance pop songs will do great with fans, but the "dreamy" songs and the ones that don't fit that same vibe or aesthetic will be considered bad or fillers. Then you'll have people complain that the album isn't sonically cohesive even though that's kind of the point of the record. 

[BradleyCooper 1,975]

Im preparing for the worst, hoping for the best, but at the end of the day as long as I love the music and I’m enjoying it, I can’t be too bummed.

[Creyk 17,099]

As long as I get at least 10 dark bops in the vein of Heavy Metal Lover, Dance In The Dark, Monster, I do not care one bit what the critics will say.

[nodandsmile 9,770]

I feel like this is going to be her most Gaga album since ARTPOP, it will probably be divisive!

sometimes I think some lms forget how things were pre-ASIB 

Edited 11 hours ago by nodandsmile

[Catnikko 13,839]

the only thing bumpy is gonna be this site bringing in the dramatics for every minor thing

[bionic 42,990]

I will be melting down if Gaga gets criticized– the critics just don't understand her art

I will be melting down if Gaga gets praised– I can't believe she'd sell out for critical acclaim

[clownery 3,827]

Critics have always been hard on Gaga anyways they find her pretentious and over the top, so I don't know, I see a 60 score on Metacritic.

[freebit 6,119]

48 minutes ago, metalguru said:

Disease is the only recent Lady Gaga release to earn rave reviews from platforms like Rate Your Music and Album of the Year. Notably, Rate Your Music—a notoriously critical user-based platform, especially toward Gaga’s work—has been particularly positive:

https://rateyourmusic.com/release/single/lady-gaga/disease/

So, instead of complaining, let’s focus on spreading the good word. I truly believe this project has the potential to be a tour de force. The real challenge lies in overcoming Stan culture—and, at times, even the Monsters themselves. If we let ourselves fall into hasty judgments, we’ll only undermine what could be a defining moment for this album.

I agree. Though, I think some of stan culture has seeped into music media, like Vulture for example now has writers that grew up on stan twitter and still write like it. So I'm sure there will be some element of that at play, and also we'll see ageism (kind of new to her) start up. At the same time, oddly, she's never been more critically acclaimed, as you said. I guess each element will balance each other out.