Lady Gaga hosts a desert rave in video for 'Perfect Illusion'

The video features Gaga performing in the desert alongside Tame Impala's Kevin Parker, BloodPop, and Mark Ronson

A transformative master, Lady Gaga's newest video for 'Perfect Illusion' is inevitably going to surprise a lot of people - merely because of its simplicity.

The video, shot by Ruth Hogben and Andrea Gelardin, certainly makes a major departure from Gaga's ARTPOP phase of work; tracking her along the desert as she swings microphones, stamps her feet, and wears a selection of denim cut-offs.

It's an artistic direction that manages to drive Gaga towards a new earthiness, a hot-blooded passion, while still maintaining her usual glamorous sheen; as she performs in the midst of a raving crowd alongside Tame Impala's Kevin Parker, BloodPop (formerly known as Blood Diamonds), and Mark Ronson, who all act as co-producers on the track.

An ideal accompaniment to the track's rockier edge, lacing in a Springsteen-style drive to the verses and letting her vocals - some of the absolute strongest in the industry - soar over the track's catchy chorus.

"People feel pressured to live up to that perfect illusion in their real lives," she stated on the Radio 1 Breakfast Show, revealing the song's connection to the constructs of social media. "This is about accepting that and letting go. I’m not saying not to use your phone, I’m not that crazy. I think social media is great. But there’s also a lot of things that are on the internet that aren’t reality."

'Perfect Illusion' marks the first single off Gaga's upcoming album, Joanne, which is set for release on 21 October.