Progressive? Lady Gaga Harks Back To 'The Fame' With 'Applause'

'Lady GaGa' has rushed out her new single Applause after slow quality versions of the track leaked online.

The singer's first new material since 2011, the bouncy dance single was originally scheduled for release on August 19, though when snippets of the song became available on Saturday (August 10, 2013), Mother Monster was forced to take matters into the her own hands.

"A pop music emergency is underway," tweeted the singer before distributing her single to iTunes and YouTube in super quick time. "Lord in heaven, why?" the 27-year-old had tweeted over the weekend, "You just couldn't wait. This is too much for one Saturday."

Gaga - who has embraced social media from the very beginning of her rise to fame - mobilised her fans and asked them to report leaks to her record label, though by Monday evening she had released the song to radio and online stores after illegal versions became readily available.

A short, spikey pop track, Applause has received early positive reviews though critics are in agreement that it's reminiscent of Gaga's early work, particularly material from The Fame (2008).

Calling the single a "throwback" to her previous material, Rolling Stone magazine said: "Applause is all bouncy disco and simple messages."

Billboard magazine said Applause was "built around pulsating synthesizers and morphs into a thrilling dance cut when it circles back to its chorus."

There was criticism from Spin magazine, which said Applause "offers few reasons to clap," and calling the track "bland" and "behind the times."

Slant magazine said the single "proves she [Gaga] can still craft a catchy hook," though noted, "another track from the album, "Aura" (or "Burqa"), which leaked last week, is everything we've come to expect from Gaga: messy, self-absorbed, overly ambitious, and downright weird-while still being undeniably infectious."

Listen to Lady Gaga's Applause:

Us? We think Applause actually works pretty well as a first single from ARTPOP. Yes, it's surprisingly straightforward, but so was Born This Way. Clearly, it's not unusual for pop acts to release the more formulaic material as an album's first single and from the leaks over the weekend, it seems there could be far more to come from the depth of Lady Gaga's new album.

The singer will perform Applause at the MTV Video Music Awards on August 25, 2013/

ARTPOP will be released in November.

See all our pictures from Lady Gaga wearing full ARTPOP makeup.

With ARTPOP Makeup, Lady Gaga Arrives At The E! Building