Lady Gaga's “Disease” music video is a dark, monstrous return

Lady Gaga had a big surprise for her fans this Halloween. Just days after the pop star released the lead single “Disease” from her upcoming album on October 25, she released the music video for the song just hours before the announcement. Gaga announced the video on October 29, confirming that it would be released to the world that evening alongside a live performance of her collaboration with Bruno Mars, “Die with a Smile.”

“Disease” had already been heralded as Gaga’s return to the dark electro-pop that made her a star throughout her career Born this way era, and the music video leans even deeper into that pitch-black aesthetic. Ahead of the release, Gaga teased the mood with a clip of herself with long, dark hair fleeing a car that was chasing her. The single's cover art hinted at the clip's conclusion, showing Gaga's body bent over the hood of a vehicle.

In fact, the music video did these gory details justice.

“Disease” is the lead single from Lady Gaga’s seventh, as-yet-untitled studio album. However, it shouldn't be confused with the flurry of other music the pop star has released recently. “Die with a Smile” is a standalone collaboration that is not part of an album, and Gaga said her recently released album was inspired by big bands harlequin is more associated with an interim project Joker: Folie á Deuxcalled it their “6.5” album.

The artistic direction of “Disease” has drawn comparisons to Gaga’s previous works that leaned more toward horror, particularly “Bloody Mary.” For this reason, fans believe Gaga is reviving her mother-monster persona for this era, a beloved alter ego that she has largely ignored for the past decade.

So lift your paws up little monsters, the album you've been waiting for is finally here.