Plastic Hearts

She's Just Being Miley

I don't remember exactly when I became a Miley fan but I'm pretty sure it was around the time of Party in the USA which was released just before I packed up my life and moved to the US - the first time.  She had me nodding my head (like yeah) and moving my hips (like yeah) and I really did believe that everything was going to be okay.  Since shedding her sugary sweet Hannah Montana image and sound, Miley has undergone several reinventions and one of the many things I love about her is her ability to keep transforming herself and her work in a way that seems like a natural evolution rather than a forced publicity stunt.  She has proven that she can do it all: pop, R&B, country, rock, pop, trap and hip-hop.  She has shown the middle finger to her haters, living up to her promise in 2013 not to stop and to do whatever she wants, and has managed to win over critics along the way.  

Her seventh studio album, Plastic Hearts, was released on 27 November 2020, at the end of a long and crazy year.  The album was exactly what I, and much of the country, needed in the wake of a nerve-wracking election and the ongoing anxiety-inducing Trump rantings.  The album debuted at number 2 on the US Billboard 200.  Like incredible releases from many artists in 2020, Plastic Hearts looks to the past for inspiration but unlike the disco-driven albums by Dua Lipa and Kylie, it is more of a nod to the gritty but glam era of late 70s/early 80s punk rock and new wave.  Indeed the cover art, with Miley sporting the blonde mullet that had become an integral part of her look for much of 2020, was photographed by Mick Rock, known for his work with iconic rock stars such as Joan Jett and Debbie Harry.

Here are my thoughts on the tracks from the album, along with a "Golden G-string" rating for each (named for the final song on the album - and one of my favourites):

WTF Do I Know

This is one of my least favourite songs on the album, perhaps too much of a rock flavour for my palette.

 3 Golden G-strings

Plastic Hearts

The title track is a bouncy rock number with chorus that induces finger snapping.  In the song she seems to speak to the need to feel something in the face of numbness following a break-up: I just wanna feel / I just wanna feel something / But I keep feeling nothing all night long.

  3 1/2 Golden G-strings

Angels Like You

The first ballad on the album that showcases Miley's raspy, emotion-charged vocals.  British Vogue compared the song to her 2013 hit Wrecking Ball in terms of its gradual crescendo of heartbreak to a powerful chorus.

  4 Golden G-strings

Prisoner

Her duet with 2020's disco goddess, Dua Lipa, was released as the second single from the album.  I will be honest, this one was a grower for me but now a firm favourite.  It's a song about freedom and independence where disco meets rock and girls have fun while working through their heartache.  I also love the hint of Olivia Newton-John's Physical (where is the mashup?)

  4 1/2 Golden G-strings

Gimme What I Want

This is an edgier, electro-infused track that explores the need for a lover to satisfy a physical longing - with the caveat that she can take matters into her own hands if needed:  "I don't need a future, I don't need your past / I just need a lover / So gimme what I want or I'll give it to myself-inflicted torture, you don't have to ask / I just need a lover / So gimme what I want or I'll give it to myself".

  3 Golden G-strings

Night Crawling

Another collaboration with  another punk rock legend, Billy Idol, who has also had an impact on Miley's musical career:  “The way that he kinda married like rebellion, but also his music had like incredible hooks – he showed me that I could have balance, that I could make music that I and other people could love.”  The song definitely has an 80s vibe, with a subtle White Wedding feel in the chorus.

  3 1/2 Golden G-strings

Midnight Sky

The lead single from the album that announced the new direction of her music and was accompanied by a music video featuring plenty of neon and glitter and Miley in a black Chanel bodysuit with Swarovski-covered black gloves - and her retro mullet of course.  Nina Corcoran of Consequence of Sound described the song as a "flashy synthpop number" while Alex Gallagher of NME called an "assertive disco-tinged bop".  The Edge of Midnight Remix of the song, a mashup with Edge of Seventeen featuring Stevie Nicks, is included on the digital version of the album.

  5 Golden G-Strings 

High

This laid-back country-tinged track was co-produced by Mark Ronson, with whom Miley collaborated on the smash hit Nothing Breaks Like a Heart.  High also features some of the best lyrics on the album:  "And you, like a neon light / Shining through a door that I can't keep closed / And you, like a rolling stone / Always building cities on the hearts that you broke".

  4 1/2 Golden G-strings

Hate Me

A mid-tempo track that is pretty average and speaks about getting drunk and high and contemplating how people, especially an ex, would react to the speaker's death: "I wonder what would happen if I die / I hope all of my friends get drunk and high / Would it be too hard to say goodbye?"

  3 Golden G-strings

Bad Karma

I was obsessed with this collaboration with the legendary Joan Jett as soon as I heard it - especially the "uh uh uh" refrain and the song's catchy guitar hook.  This is not the first time the two have collaborated; Miley performed with Joan on the Oprah show way back in 2011, she inducted Joan into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame in 2015, stating “There isn’t one other person on this planet that’s been an inspiration to me like you have" about her idol in her speech; she appeared on The Voice to help mentor Miley's team and they performed together on the Happy Hippie Backyard Sessions.  

  5 Golden G-strings

Never Be Me

This is a synth-soaring ballad reminiscent of a hit song from American rock band Heart.  In the song Miley outlines what she will and will not do in a relationship: "But if you're looking for stable, that'll never be me / If you're looking for faithful, that'll never be me / If you're looking for someone to be all that you need / That'll never be me".

  4 Golden G-strings

Golden G String

Like me, you might dismiss this track based on its title.  But it is actually one of the best songs on the album.  Shaad D’Souza from Pitchfork refers to Golden G String as "a warm, inviting ballad, one of Cyrus’ most deeply-felt in years" and I would agree completely.  The song, which is critical of patriarchal discourse and its expectations of women, reminds me of Hallelujah in places.  Miley has stated that it is also "reflective of Donald Trump as president and the men [who] hold all the cards — and they ain't playing gin, and they determine your fate."  And any song that takes aim at Trump deserves ten Golden G-strings!

  5 Golden G-strings