I first came across Miley Cyrus when they were a Disney star some time ago through my sister watching Hannah Montana when we were younger. Over the years as Cyrus has outgrown the life of a child star, I’ve not really enjoyed what I've heard of their music. Flash forward to more recent times and I’ve found myself enjoying their newer songs like last year’s hit “Mother’s Daughter”. Then Cyrus dropped smash hit “Midnight Sky”, a total style shift to a more 80’s-influenced synth sound I didn’t expect, but it’s fully something I can get into. Follow-up live covers of classic pop/rock hits like “Zombie” and “Heart of Glass”, got me even more so I had to check out their new LP - Plastic Hearts.
Opener “WTF Do I Know” flexes Cyrus’ rock muscle further bringing plenty of attitude complementing the driving guitar chords and funky bass rhythms. One of the best things I love the most about the song is the little xylophone-sounding embellishment on “I don’t even miss you” in the chorus. The title track brings a more chilled vibe led by the piano in the verses and the more distant guitars in the chorus. The bluesy solo is also a cool highlight. “Angels Like You” catches you a little off-guard at first being a ballad so early in the album, however it does flow nicely following “Plastic Hearts”. The airy guitar and piano coupled with the synth drum beat builds to the big final chorus, giving the vibe of the soundtrack to the finale of a late ‘80s/early ‘90s romcom - which isn’t a read!
Second single “Prisoner” ups the tempo and marks the ‘80s new wave/synth sound section of Plastic Hearts. The song is also the first collaboration on the album featuring Dua Lipa whose softer vocal style complements Cyrus’ slightly grittier tone well, especially in their back and forth moments. The dance beat and driving funky bass is certain to fill dancefloors when the nightclubs re-open. Following number “Gimme What I Want” is one of my favourites, most likely due to the darker style. I love the bigger pulsing funk bassline, the slapping gated reverb on the drums, the chorusy funk guitars, the big-sounding vocals and the even bigger reverb. Everything I love about 80’s music in a modern dark pop style. The moment of the outro with just the bass and beats has an almost industrial vibe which is cool. Cyrus tops this with what I think is the best song on the album - “Night Crawling”. Their second collaboration featuring 80’s punk/new wave icon Billy Idol, brings a banging arena rock sound with the stabbing guitars above the pounding disco beat. The constant staccato bassline is one of my favourite things about ‘80s music, and it’s present here alongside an awesomely cheesy hooky synth melody. For me, it’s easily Plastic Hearts’ best song.
Marking the halfway point of the album is the first single, “Midnight Sky”. Even after hearing it often since it’s release back in August, it’s still a banger bringing more funky basslines and catchy lyrics. Follow-up “High” shifts the style to a reflective country ballad, with passionate vocals from Cyrus over the strumming acoustic guitar. “Hate Me” brings a more chill rock feel with the layering of light electric guitar and jazz organ on top of the acoustic guitars and drumkit. The song is a genre change that’s reminiscent of 90’s alt-rock. Another legendary collaboration comes in “Bad Karma” in the form of Joan Jett. The pair ooze cool attitude over the stomping rhythm section with the subtle distorted delay-drenched guitars. The song ends with funny outtake from Jett during the fadeout which I love.
The new songs end with the duo of “Never Be Me” and “Golden G String”. The former is another big sounding 80’s ballad with gentle synth arpeggios over the warm bass, and the latter is an interesting swaying reflective number blending piano, guitar, strings and synth sounds. It’s difficult to describe, but it feels like “Golden G String” could be a folk song if the instruments were all acoustic. Plastic Hearts also comes with the awesome mashup (which was released a couple of weeks prior to the album), “Edge of Midnight”, featuring the final legendary collaboration with Stevie Nicks whose distinctive voice works great with Cyrus’ as they share lyrics from their respective hits. In addition there’s also recordings of the two live covers of “Heart of Glass” and “Zombie” where Cyrus really brings the raw vocal power, nailing both songs while putting their own stamp on them.
Overall Plastic Hearts makes for a cool new era in Miley Cyrus’ musical career, bringing a lot of different influences and fun retro vibes. The songs are all quite short but insanely catchy, with plenty of hooks both musically and lyrically. One of the best things is Cyrus’ voice which brings a slightly huskier tone than in the past, which suits all of the styles presented on Plastic Hearts whether they’re belting out the big notes, or sweetly singing the soft notes. All in all an awesome album to end the year with, and it’s exciting to see what direction Cyrus will take next.
Critical Hits: "WTF Do I Know", "Plastic Hearts", "Prisoner", "Gimme What I Want", "Night Crawling", "Midnight Sky" and "Bad Karma"
