Fourteen years into her musical career, Miley Cyrus is finally hitting her stride with her latest album, Plastic Hearts. Adopting a classic rock-infused sound, Plastic Hearts is a welcome addition to Cyrus’ notable, yet erratic, discography. Over the past decade, listeners have been subject to several underwhelming or gimmicky releases from Cyrus. Her attempts at R&B and rap on Bangerz and She Is Coming, as well as the tragically dull return to country on Younger Now, left much to be desired. Plastic Hearts is Cyrus’ first record that feels genuine and organic, a solid indication that she may have finally discovered her signature sound in pop-rock.
Despite the shaky reputation of her past albums, Cyrus has shown time and time again that she is adept at releasing chart-topping singles. Cyrus remains a master at crafting top-notch pop singles, as shown by the Stevie Nicks-inspired ‘Midnight Sky’ and ‘Prisoner,’ a collaboration with fellow popstar Dua Lipa. Along with ‘WTF Do I Know’ and ‘Hate Me,’ these pop-rock tracks demonstrate Cyrus’ strength as a songwriter and offer a refreshing alternative to the current electro-pop trend.
Though most of Plastic Hearts is a pop-rock affair, long-time fans will be pleased to find that Cyrus hasn’t completely shed her country roots. Touches of country can be heard on tracks ‘Angels Like You,’ ‘High,’ and ‘Golden G String,’ as Cyrus opens up about recent relationship breakdowns and dealing with misogyny in the entertainment industry.
Plastic Hearts features appearances from a number of rock legends, lending further credibility to Cyrus’ recent shift towards the genre. ‘Night Crawling’ with Billy Idol and ‘Bad Karma’ with Joan Jett & The Blackhearts are two of Plastic Hearts’ most memorable tracks and do much of the heavy-lifting when it comes to the overall rock sound of the record.
However, the ‘Edge of Midnight’ mash-up, featuring vocals from Stevie Nicks, is less of a triumph. The sample of ‘Edge of Seventeen’ found in Cyrus’ lead single was inspired, but the remix of these two songs together feels clunky and rushed. It’s a real shame, since a proper collaboration between Cyrus and Nicks could have been a stand-out moment for the record.
Closing out the album are Cyrus’ viral covers of Blondie’s ‘Heart of Glass’ and The Cranberries’ ‘Zombie.’ Cyrus doesn’t quite capture the political anger of ‘Zombie’, but her gutsy rendition of ‘Heart of Glass’ remains a delight. It’s easy to understand why the internet demanded its release on streaming platforms, as Cyrus’ sandpapery vocals are perfectly suited to the track.
Plastic Hearts is by far Cyrus’ most accomplished album to date, as she focuses more on the music and less on the headlines. The album is extremely accessible, with excellent pop hooks and a solid attempt at incorporating rock production into Cyrus’ repertoire. Plastic Hearts is an album you’ll find yourself coming back to again and again, and it’s left me with an optimistic outlook towards future releases from Cyrus.
