Miley Cyrus – Plastic Hearts
Pop – Released November 27, 2020 – 12 songs, 40 mins
REID’s album drop:
This one falls in the ‘new release’ category. I can’t really say I’m a huge fan of her since I’ve only heard the singles but she has had some bangers and I think she’s super talented. Her live performances promoting this release have been killer and as you fellas know, I’m currently digging her single with Dua Lipa. Album won’t be available until midnight!
REID
I don’t listen to much pop music these days. As a child I’d latch on to whatever was on MuchMusic, MTV or the radio because well, it was easiest. Like everyone else, my interests and personal taste changed as I got older but I’d still hear a lot of pop music in regular radio rotation. Fast forward to 32-year-old me in 2020; the internet and streaming services have completely changed the music industry. I have total control of every-single-thing I listen to and the radio is mostly an after-thought. It definitely makes me feel old when I have no idea who the new popular artists or groups are. Why am I saying all this? Primarily because this album brought me back. Other than Taylor Swift, I can’t think of a full pop album I’ve given a true listen in years. It honestly blows my mind how deeply personal Miley is on Plastic Hearts. And I know this isn’t new for her, the exposure is new to me. You’d have to be living on another planet (or just away from social media) to avoid news of her highly publicized divorce and flings/relationships since. The album expresses the ups and downs as she navigates through this part of her life.
She sets the stage for the album with WTF Do I Know. Although it’s not a favourite of mine, I think it was probably the right song to open with. ‘I’m single, don’t miss you and who knows WTF is next’ is a fun message to get things started. I want to note that I do love the bridge to the chorus. Plastic Hearts is a super catchy single anthem. It really hits for the emotionally unavailable single folks who want a connection without strings. I feel like we’ve all been there at some point. Miley’s attractiveness has always been hit or miss for me. She’s obviously gorgeous and mega talented but the trashy look is a turn off. (I’m sure she gives a fuck what I think… lol). But man, do I ever fall in love listening to Angels Like You. It tells a story of two people with an obvious connection who just aren’t right for each other. It’s brilliant lyrically and she kills it. My favourite collaboration on the album comes next, Prisoner, with Dua Lipa. This one friggin slaps! Love the chorus. Have you guys seen the video? Three quarters sexy, twenty five percent gross. Gimme What I Want and Midnight Sky (no longer listing in order) are both short and catchy jams embracing single life. Crawling and Bad Karma don’t do anything for me. Slow and boring. Sorry Billy and Joan. High is another very personal, emotional song that I like. The raspiness in her voice is so unique. In Hate Me, she asks ‘I wonder what would happen if I died,’ which is something we’ve all probably thought at one point. Kind of morbid but hey, it’s catchy enough. Never Be Me reminds me of a quote I heard from Matthew McConaughey – “The two most important things for a relationship are a connection and timing”. It sounds like she’s writing it to someone she adores but just isn’t completely there or ready to be what that person needs her to be. She gives the middle finger to society’s expectations with Golden G String. ‘The old boys hold all the cards and they ain’t playing gin’ is perfect. You have to appreciate this one.
The album is a hit for me. I feel like just about everyone can relate to the emotional roller coaster relationships can lead you through. Special shout out to the live performances.
Overall Rating – 7.8/10
Favourite Song – Angels Like You
ROZ
The year is 2020. It is NOT a party in the USA. Let's review some new Miley.
WTF Do I Know starts the album off great - I really felt myself moving to the bass groove that goes throughout the song and the drums really hit hard. Not only that, but as expected Miley's voice is fantastic in this. I had high expectations going into Plastic Hearts (as you typically do when it comes to the titular track) and it didn't disappoint - very pop-centric, very catchy with a dope guitar solo to boot. Angels Like You slows the energy down, stripping the production down to a piano, guitar, and a tambourine - a great way to let the album breath in between bops.
Speaking of bops, here's Prisoner. Dua Lupa can do no wrong (other than throw shade at Friday Beers, although I'd like to think that was more her agents doing), so to me this song is a certified banger. This one definitely has that earworm quality, digging into your head and making you hum along whenever it pops up again (which for me has been more than once).
Things slow down again with Gimme What I Want, which had nice qualities but overall I found it forgettable. As a Billy Idol fan, I went into Night Crawling with high expectations and found that it didn't quite deliver - they could have ramped up the 1980's vibe a little more and hearing Billy heavily autotuned was pretty jarring. This one was followed up by Midnight Sky which was on my shortlist for best song of the album - loved the production on this one. The synthwave drums combined with airy retro synth-pads really had me going.
It's at this point where the album starts to lose me. While High showcases Mileys powerful singing voice, It's just a bit too country for me. This continues on through Hate Me and Bad Karma. Never Be Me blatantly rips off of I'm On Fire by Bruce Springsteen, and it's a shitty rip off at that. Golden G String had some interesting elements going on but it never really hooked me like some of the albums stronger songs (Prisoner, Midnight Sky), and seemed very much a "filler" track. Luckily, this album had a couple of fantastic covers tacked on at the end that I thoroughly enjoyed (although none of them hold a candle to their respective originals).
I'll admit I'm not the biggest Miley fan, as I've never been into country music and largely ignored her releases after she steered more towards the genre. I'm glad to see that she's come back around to the pop sound, and I think that if she continues along this path I'll be enjoying her hits for years to come.
Overall Rating – 6.5/10
Favourite Song – Prisoner
LUNDI
I mean at the end of the day “WTF Do I Know” about album reviews, but this album fucks (bet you won’t see that on Pitchfork).
I love Miley, always have. I think she is simply the most talented pop star there is. Her range in style is immense and she expands it even further on Plastic Hearts charting a rock album that I was not expecting.
The album kicks off with two up tempo songs (WTF, Plastic Hearts) that draw you in right away, then immediately flips to a ballad (Angels) that I could see myself belting and swaying my arms as I stand amongst thousands of teens at a Miley concert.
Gimme What I Want is sandwiched between two high profile features in Dua Lipa (Prisoner) and Billy Idol (Night Crawling) with all 3 songs fitting right along with the album. Who knew what I wanted was a Miley Cyrus rock album.
Midnight Sky has been around since the summer but is still an enjoyable listen. If it was fresh it may have been my favourite of the album. High gives you that Miley voice range we’ve all come to know. Although it’s an album, I know she can hit these notes with ease.
The next few songs present a low point for me after a badass starting 8. Cool bassline in Hate Me but I could do without this song. Yes Miley, you’re world famous, people will cry. Bad Karma gets me back in the groove a bit with a Joan Jett appearance but the song isn’t anything special. Thought they could have done more with that build up near the end of the song. Never Be Me is another ballad and is fine. Another example is Miley’s pipes.
Golden G String is a chill but excellent way to close the album. Lyrics are very real and speak to her experience in what is certainly a boys industry.
EXTRAS EXTRAS!! These are all awesome. Zombie is a personal fave. If you don’t believe me she’s the greatest then I’d point to what she was able to do with these classics.
Overall this is pretty close to a perfect pop rock album. She’s able to cross into a genre that many of her fans don’t bother with and yet produce another hit album. This girl has it. I hope she does another rock album. It suits her.
Overall Rating – 8.0/10
Favourite Song – I honestly don’t know. Most of them are so fun. Lundi is a sucker for good pop music. If you make me choose I’ll say Night Crawling.