Miley Cyrus feels liberated on “Endless Summer Vacation”
Miley Cyrus has finally released her highly anticipated “Endless Summer Vacation” album and we’re already making our Monéts!
On January 12, Miley released her lead single Flowers which (at the time of writing this piece) is her biggest hit. The song, which served as a poignant ode to starting over after a divorce and learning to love oneself, became everyone’s anthem to self-love and set Miley up for high expectations.
The second half of the album, which Miley called “PM”, is arguably stronger than the first half of the album, “AM”. Her second single River, for example, is a perfect dark club banger. The song which begins with upbeat high-pitched guitar and synth, and slowly darkens with an electronic intense “jazzercise” production. The funky groove melts with the steady electronic beat into an intensifying production that makes you want to shake. Miley presents the dichotomy of physical desire and marital love in the song so magical that can only be a product of a music veteran like Miley herself.
Another definite hit from the album is Violet Chemistry. The song, which talks about sexual chemistry in the club, is another track to mix groovy elements in an electronic production implacably. The track is perfect to blast while cruising with friends at night with its catchy chorus and sudden exciting breaks. “Stay a while, stay a while with me, Stay a while, don't deny the violet chemistry,” Miley repeats.
Muddy Feet sees Miley ordering the listener to “Get out of my house with that shit, get out of my life with that shit.” In the song, Miley commands power. Her Rock persona has been let out and is seeking revenge. The song features Sia only slightly as backing vocals, but her inclusion only adds to the strength of the song as Miley seems to have discovered her partner cheating and is looking for consequences.
In Wildcard Miley presents herself as untameable. She reveals she can only play the role of the obedient wife for so long before being herself again. “I’m a wildcard,” she chants over steady drums. “I love when you hold me, but loving you is never enough.” Miley’s emotion completely translates through in her voice as she fights to be herself while being with someone. Thousand Miles, which features Brandi Carlile, continues this theme of “in-between-ness” in a relationship. The song finds Miley returning to her country roots and wanting to move on from a relationship but still in the same place she began.
While Jaded promised a magnificent Greg Kurstin classic and Red Colored Lenses incited interest from its name, both sounded derivative of Miley's previous work. The songs don’t produce the excitement other tracks on the album do. In Island, for example, Miley delves into the experimental route. The song draws an image of a tropical sunset as Miley softly asks, “Am I stranded on an island? Or have I landed in paradise?” The soft marimba sound modernized with synths elegantly sits on Miley’s dreamy voice.
Other experimental songs on the album include You and Handstand. You finds Miley creating a modernized version of Lady Gaga’s Yoü And I. “I am not made for no horsey and carriage, You know I'm savage, but you're looking past it, I want that late-night sweet magic, that forever-lasting love,” she shouts. “But only if it's with you.” Though the song is powerful and magnetic on its own, it lacks originality. Handstand begins with a spoken word over oscillating synths. The song is the most sexually explicit on the album as Miley flaunts her abilities over a grungy production. “How I'm doing what I'm doing in a fucking handstand, You found it so impressive that I do it again" she sings. Her sultry vocals merge with the steady beat into an immaculate synth music break. Wonder Woman is Miley’s attempt to create a feminist anthem that only plays over soft piano chords. Although the song’s message is powerful and the lyrics are expected to resonate with many women, the song itself is bland and dry.
Miley’s “Endless Summer Vacation” feels like a culmination of the journey Miley has been on ever since her career over 20 years ago. She has always been a classicist with a unique perspective on love, relationships, and being herself. Her genius lies in her ability to turn songs into instant melancholic classics despite being new and fresh.
Miley is definitely showing off to the world how much she’s grown and that she’s been through it and back, mourning a marriage the way she used to mourn Pablow the Blowfish and coming back stronger. The album feels like Miley is finally liberating herself from everything that has ever weighed her down. Now more than ever, she’s just being Miley.
