Lady Gaga just released her first new single since “Til It Happens To You” almost a year ago, and as you probably did not guess, it’s kind of a rock song. To be clear, “Perfect Illusion” is not really a rock song, but it is one by Lady Gaga standards—and by the standards of Top 40 music at the moment. It’s definitely more of a rock song than a synthpop song or a jazz song. Just listen and draw your own taxonomical conclusions.
Produced by Gaga, with the help of Mark Ronson, Kevin Parker (of Tame Impala), and Bloodpop, the track features Eagles Of Death Metal’s Josh Homme on guitar, which would seem to tip it toward rock. Plus, the belted-out vocals are somewhat reminiscent of Stevie Nicks. (Or, at any rate, Bonnie Tyler.) On the other hand, the four-on-the-floor drum work of Parker, along with Bloodpop’s spaceship-y sounding synthesizers, hints that will likely be pretty popular in clubs.