His new record is called Endless Summer Vacationbut despite the title Miley Cyrus seems to have left the role of the rebellious party girl for a new, mature phase of her life. This time the singer moves on a more pop terrain, trying to experiment with genres but without really daring. She continues to move, that is, within the perimeters of her comfort zone, confirming if nothing else her incredible vocal talents.
Miley Cyrus’ career is following a parable that has affected other pop stars (strictly female) before her: in Bangerz we saw her debut as a pop(meme)star, in And Her Dead Petz winked at the “indie”, while in Younger Now she had tried her hand at the inevitable country of her origins, those immediately post Hannah Montana. It is difficult not to notice a sort of natural cycle which, after a phase of reflection, always brings these young women back to square one but with a new artistic maturity. We have seen it in Taylor Swiftalso in Avril Lavigne that with his latest album (Love Sux, 2022) has already completed the aforementioned circle and is back to her 18-year-old self. A spontaneous process? Surely behind there is (also) the work of hosts of seasoned producers: in the case of Endless Summer VacationCyrus relies on Mike Will Made-It, Greg Kurstin, Tyler Johnson and Kid Harpoon.
This team has managed to slip in (partly by luck, partly due to its ability to read the times) in a season of angry and disappointed women, just think of the BZRP Music Session #53 by Shakira. But if the Latin singer loses credibility with a controversial text, Cyrus triumphs with a catchy piece, a hymn to female and emotional independence: Flowers. A song that talks about her ex-husband, Liam Hemsworth, and the episodes that punctuated their brief relationship (including the destruction of their home in Los Angeles, destroyed in the Woolsey fire that broke out in California in November of 2018.).
It is no coincidence that the opening and preview song of the album came out on his birthday. In short, a small revenge. And to make sure fans get the message, Cyrus obsessively recites in the text: I can love me better. In short, the women of this season really like the small revenges, which make very specific marketing operations. Also Lana Del Rey, a few months ago, showed on social networks the only poster of her new album posted in the States, and it was in the city of her ex-boyfriend. With a lot of caption: “It’s personal”. As well as Kali Uchis she recently wished her ex some roses so “he can still smell them.”
As soon as the hit album is left behind, Miley Cyrus immerses herself in a series of songs ranging from pop-funk to r’n’b, with more forays into good old country than her godmother, Dolly Parton. In short, he wants to follow in the footsteps of auteur pop, which is so fashionable now (just think of the aforementioned Taylor Swift or Harry Styles). of mainstream pop, Endless Summer Vacation it also inherits its flaws, including the attempt at a concept that results in a body that is not very cohesive, which does not stand upright.
It is not clear where the division between AM And pm at the base of the project: according to the intentions of the singer, the first represents the energy, the beauty of the new possibilities, the second instead is dedicated to introspection but also to the sparkle, to the glamour. Jadefor example, the second track of the album, could represent both moods of the album, with the voice that explodes in the chorus to give weight to a text that speaks of regret, but supported by a soft rock sound.
Among the best songs on the album is Rose Colored Lenses, who allows himself a little more freedom from a musical point of view. It’s a pity that Miley Cyrus has already given her best on the third track, because what follows is an unexploded bomb, a contained emotion, a work that remains in the comfort zone of pop clichés despite the hints of inventiveness here and there.
It’s a shame especially because his voice is powerful, full of anger, as demonstrated in the featuring with Is in Muddy Feetwhich mixes pop, a hint of blues and rock or energy in a forgettable Wildcards. His emotions transpire more from the voice than from the verses, which while on the one hand explicitly attest feelings of suffering, on the other they fail to go beyond the minimum unquestionable.
Cyrus also indulges in some more positive sentiments, as in River or Handstands where he makes sexual innuendos in frames of very 90s synthetic pop. After all, Miley Cyrus is still a nostalgic, and this time her icons are those of the 90s / early 2000s, especially the Kylie Minogue Of Can’t get out of my head: it can be said, in fact, that Cyrus declines the mood of Fever in more introspective texts. Especially in the last track, Wonder Woman, a piano and voice ballad that expresses a desire for revenge with a simple melody. A bit like the manifesto of this album which ends, therefore, on a positive note.
Endless Summer Vacation it is exactly the evolution expected from Miley Cyrus, who does not completely abandon the glam-rock desire of the previous one plastic hearts but prefers to fit into a more adult pop context. Perhaps because at this stage of her life she needs something more solid, a secure structure to lean on. Perhaps Miley Cyrus is still going through the traumas and sufferings of divorce, and this time she doesn’t need to rebel but the expert hands of co-writers and producers who have pulled an unassailable record out of her, but unforgettable not one bit.