When Lady Gaga was announced as a main cast member of American Horror Story: Hotel & My Roanoke Nightmare, many of her fans thought they wouldn’t hear any new music for an unbearably long time. Two years was the wait, and for those passionate fans, it was too long. And yet, all they received was just a single, “Perfect Illusion,” and not an overwhelmingly great one at that.

This isn’t to say her 2016 single doesn’t have any quality. Though it’s a quite different style and tone than her other popular songs, it is certainly interesting. The song, except for a few brief periods, just consists of her repeating the same words, “It wasn’t love, it wasn’t love. It was a perfect illusion. Mistaken for love, it wasn’t love, it was a perfect illusion. You were a perfect illusion.” Though this might seem lazy to some, or uncreative, it’s fairly impressive. Her inhuman vocals and power when she sings is present, and a deliriously addictive track plays in the background. Yet there just isn’t something there like the rest of her songs. This single just doesn’t have that same feeling, the let’s-bump-this-on-full-volume-in-the-car feeling. This feeling was present in songs like “Just Dance,” “Poker Face,” or “Telephone,”

Lady Gaga, like many artists these days, came out of hiding after years of desperate fan waiting just to drop a just pretty good song or album. For some fans it was good, for some fans it was a failed attempt to try a new style, but for none it was perfect.

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐∙ ∙

3 out of 5 stars

“Perfect Illusion” can be found and purchased on all major media sources.