Lady Gaga causes Mayhem, The Cruel Sea return with their first album in 24 years: What to listen to in March

Three months into the new year, one song has been particularly eye-catching: "APT." by Bruno Mars in collaboration with Blackpink member Rosé has held the top spot on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) charts for six weeks in the first 12 weeks of 2025. The song's success is a testament to its popularity.

If you're looking for other music worth listening to, here are five recommended recent releases. These works range from top pop superstars to emerging Australian neo-soul music oddities, as well as a new album from The Cruel Sea band after a twenty-year hiatus, offering diverse styles worth exploring.

Lady Gaga's seventh solo album, "Mayhem," is currently sparking controversy among fans, but it will be loved once the initial shock wears off. The album is led by two dark, heavy industrial pop singles, "Disease" and "Abracadabra." "Abracadabra," with its nonsensical chorus and theatrical (slightly demonic) music video, along with intense dance choreography reminiscent of "Bad Romance," quickly became a dance floor hit.

Initially, fans thought the album was a return to the early 2010s. But in reality, it showcases Lady Gaga's strength as a rock star, rather than a pop star. The album effortlessly navigates various musical styles, including Prince's funk lines ("Killah"), Michael Jackson's vocal dance on twitching bass lines ("Shadow of a Man"), 80s Pat Benatar's power rock pop ("LoveDrug"), Italian disco ("Zombie Boy"), 2000s electroclash ("Garden of Eden"), and Nine Inch Nails-influenced garbage pop ("Perfect Celebrity"). Among them, "Perfect Celebrity" is a highlight, in which Gaga rebels against the constraints of her public image—a cliché in pop music, but one she has been exploring since her debut album "The Fame," and makes it feel heartfelt here with an angry expression.

Taylor Swift also contributed a song, "How Bad Do U Want Me," which sounds like a fan used AI to generate a Lady Gaga cover of a fictional 1989-era demo. The song is not so much bad as it is casual, as Gaga rarely chases her peers. Perhaps she's just having fun—and it is indeed fun! Unlike her previous two solo albums ("Joanne," "Chromatica"), which revolved around themes of emotional and physical healing, Gaga said "Mayhem" was created during a less turbulent period—as suggested by "Blades of Grass," a piano ballad about her fiancé and "Mayhem" executive producer, Michael Polansky.

Due to a lack of some emotional weight, this album is Gaga's least conceptually explicit or sonically unique. While this may be difficult for fans focused on the era to accept, the songs, mainly produced by Andrew Watt, Cirkut, and Gesaffelstein, are great. It's not innovative and culture-shaping, but it puts Gaga's powerful vocals, dramatic enunciation, and fully committed emotional expression front and center—as "Mayhem" demonstrates, this is a hit in any era. Suitable for fans of Prince, Janelle Monáe, and David Bowie.

New music from The Cruel Sea band has not gone unnoticed. Their live return in 2023 was exciting, the band is in good shape, and their unique organic, soulful, laid-back but restrained rock music remains completely relevant in the context of contemporary music. If Tex Perkins' ageless croon and Dan Rumour's timeless twang weren't such perfect sonic partners, they would be fiercely competing here. Both are very unique and are key components of the band's sound. The way The Cruel Sea band operates around these totemic forces allows them to gain support and space to shine.

The various angles of songwriting are still sharp, with Perkins captivating as he battles desperate depression in "King Of Sorrow," the dilapidated instrumental track "Razorback" sounds covered in dust, and the reflective "Straight Into The Sun" offers that self-aware ease that will resonate with many of the band's core fans. There's nothing groundbreaking about these songs, and frankly, that's a relief. Twenty-four years after the band's last album release, we don't need to hear a reinvented version of The Cruel Sea, we like the one we have.

Melbourne musician Charlie Woods' second album, "NYAA WA," named after the GuriNgai word for "take care," aims to celebrate the importance of protecting the countryside and Indigenous culture. Her sunny music, composed of harmonies from her sister Miri, revolves around vocal loops, jazz brass instruments, and live percussion, reminiscent of the quirky side of 00s indie pop. The lively and cheerful "This Land" is the argument of "NYAA WA," containing birdsong and sounds of the countryside, with Woods and Miri asking listeners: "Whose land do you stand on? / Whose clan do you live in?"

Other tracks are direct odes to Charlie's countryside as a GuriNgai woman. The dreamy opening track "Dyar Rubin" sees the river water of the Hawkesbury River in northern Sydney calling to her; "Wompoo" is named after her little friend, the fruit dove; the cheeky "Mussels" is a pun, with Woods singing "Where did you get those mussels from?" over percussive vocal samples. Bright and vibrant, it's a beautiful and engaging listening experience.

Before Jason Isbell released "Foxes In The Snow," his reputation as one of the best songwriters in music today was beyond doubt. For better or worse, the complexities of his personal life cannot be said the same. His marriage to longtime collaborator Amanda Shires—like his sobriety and politics, inextricably linked to his work and the narrative of his rapidly developing career—is now over. Fans listening to this album to understand why they broke up will satisfy their voyeurism: songwriting is Isbell's way of processing major emotions, and he reveals more information in these candid songs than most people expect.

This shouldn't be surprising, Isbell's life has never been far from his art. His 2013 breakthrough "Southeastern" was recorded days after he got sober and days before he married Shires, hitting a nerve. Here, the singer is not only struggling to get rid of the pain, in songs like "Eileen" and "Good While It Lasted," Isbell is also struggling to get out of trouble, as news of his relationship with artist Anna Weyant became public. There are also several songs that seem to reflect the good and not-so-good aspects of his previous marriage, and while this is the transparency we crave from Isbell, it can sometimes feel uncomfortable. Especially for those of us who have a marginal social interest in his previous relationship.

The best way to appreciate most of the excellent songs on "Foxes..." is to avoid playing armchair psychologist and appreciate the work objectively. Isbell's rich voice remains clear and direct, while his underrated guitar playing shines even more when not competing with his band 400 Unit. While sometimes uncomfortable, "Foxes In The Snow" is another compelling chapter in Isbell's legendary career. It may feel uncomfortably voyeuristic to some, but Isbell's willingness to publicly air the best and worst of what's happening in his life has been the fuel driving his songs for decades.

In Australian producer Mild Minds' album "GEMINI," dystopia doesn't sound too bad. In his 2020 debut album "MOOD," Mild Minds (aka Benjamin David) established his version of dark, smooth electronic pop with twisted textures and wonderfully quirky decorations.

Think "Blade Runner 2049" and other cassette futurism, as David's digital drum pads, breakbeats, and chopped vocal R&B loops create tracks that meet in seemingly contradictory middles. It's nostalgic turn-of-the-century club music, but as if broadcast from 2125, with a touch of melancholy. (The glitchy, neon-colored visuals of "GEMINI" are a perfect accompaniment.)

Take the title track of "GEMINI," which chops up Case's 1996 R&B hit "Touch Me, Tease Me" (from the "The Nutty Professor" soundtrack) and spreads it over relentless, racing drum pads. Siren-like alarms and a beat close to Morse code suggest that Case's search ("No one makes me feel/You're the only one for me") has been transmitting for years. It's hard to think of another producer who would make "DNA oo"—a breakbeat track with glitchy, unintelligible vocals, galactic synth runs, and a strange vibrato reminiscent of Russian tongue-poking alien Verka. In less skilled hands, this has too many ingredients; here, it's seamless, the kind of weird that pushes rather than repels on the dance floor.