“Godspeed,” released on Oct. 17, is American DJ The Blessed Madonna’s love letter to underground raves and electronic music. Although the artist, born Marea Stamper, has previously remixed tracks for popular artists such as Ariana Grande and Dua Lipa, this is her first full album after a series of singles and features. Throughout the album’s 1 hour and 13 minute runtime, she keeps the party alive with an abundance of collaborations and interludes that playfully show her sense of humor. But even with “Godspeed’s” many features, The Blessed Madonna still highlights her own personality through the album’s lively atmosphere.

The first track, “God Has Left The Room (Intro),” immediately sets the radical tone. In an industry where musicians are seeing less and less profit and rely on trends to make it big, The Blessed Madonna rejects this approach. ”When you’re making music and you start thinking about money, God has left the room… and I don’t want that,” Stamper remarks against the sound of a ticking clock in the background.

She’s reinforced this kind of idea before — in an interview with Billboard, she said, “I feel like most dance records have nothing of the maker in them… They’re kind of, like, engineered in a lab… But somebody has to make a decision.” The songs that follow echo her insistence on resisting the industry — they’re by turns energetic, funny and inspirational, but the listener never gets the idea that Stamper is just pandering to the crowds.

Every track feels alive — vocals weave around pulsating synths like blood pumping through a body. Breezy singing from Uffie flows against piano chords and whistles in the catchy chorus of “Serotonin Moonbeams.” “Edge of Saturday Night” features Kylie Minogue alongside keyboards and a constant beat, the rhythm persisting like a party refusing to die. “Blessed Already” starts off small with just a voice repeating “I don’t know if you heard” over a beat before joining the sound of flighty synths and choral singing. As more elements are blended into the song, it feels as though there’s an entirely new world Stamper is constructing for the listener.

Just as “Godspeed” brings different voices together and sets them against industrial sounds, it isn’t afraid to get more complicated with its themes and motifs. Ticking sounds are present throughout, featured in the background of tracks like “Nowhere Fast” and “Strength (R U Ready).” It’s as if Stamper wants to warn listeners that their time is finite, adding a sense of urgency to their enjoyment of the music. Even through the consistently upbeat tone, themes of loss line the margins — “Somebody’s Daughter” samples a voice message from the artist’s late father, expressing his joy at seeing her success as a musician.

Love is an omnipresent theme throughout these tracks — multiple songs discuss it explicitly, and the album has been described as a “labour of love.” The Blessed Madonna takes a varied approach to the topic. Tracks like “Carry Me Higher” take a more traditional route, describing dedication with lyrics like “It don’t matter if the sun don’t shine / if the moon don’t glow… I’m gonna be there right next to you.” Other songs like “Henny, Hold Up (feat. Mother Marygold and Ric Wilson)” speak of love as though it’s the simplest thing in the world, ending with “I think I love you” after an encounter with a stranger. Even if the constant mentions can be cloying, The Blessed Madonna’s unrestrained takes on love feel authentic, capturing the diversity of relationships.

But using the sleek vocals and hammering rhythms, The Blessed Madonna keeps it moving. As a result, more intimate tracks such as “Somebody’s Daughter” seem easy and genuine, less like a misplaced trauma dump and more like a topic that would naturally come up in a conversation between friends. The album feels spontaneous in the best ways, combining empowering songs like “We Still Believe” with “U Want 6 Grand 4 Wut (Interlude),” where the artist laughs and yells “deez nuts!” Fun moments like these prevent the constant pounding beats from becoming overwhelming, while also serving to humanize Stamper and her personality.

The diverse range of tones truly showcases her ability to control the vibe at all times, reflecting her skill as a DJ. This is shown musically as well — many of the tracks contain beat shifts or a gradual layering of different instruments. While the anticipation often adds to the energy of the listening experience, the choice also bloats the long runtime and makes the album seem more unfocused than it otherwise would. Nothing — not the rhythms, the forceful vocals or, to her credit, Stamper’s production skills — lets up. The result can feel like it’s a little too much.

But that’s also the very idea of chaos that The Blessed Madonna embraces through “Godspeed.” “Your Mom <3 (Interlude)” contains a snippet of the artist mocking the idea of finding a straightforward and coherent meaning to the album, and the tracks are definitely more enjoyable without that approach.

Ultimately, the album is an expression of her artistic vitality, and it’s on full display. If The Blessed Madonna’s goal was to break free from the way the industry kills the joy in art, she’s succeeded. “Godspeed” is a lengthy but authentic celebration of music that truly wants to make us happy.

RATING: 4/5

This story was originally published on El Estoque on October 26, 2024.