In the last decade, Miley Cyrus has been a prominent figure within the entertainment industry, jumping from one genre to the next to develop a more mature sound and break away from her pre-established reputation created by child-stardom. In the release of her seventh studio album, “Plastic Hearts,” Miley Cyrus takes on an eccentric pop-rock direction that, accompanied with her natural rasp and powerful vocals, feels like she has finally begun to come into her most authentic sound. 

The hype and anticipation of Cyrus’ new album was largely helped by her cover of “Heart of Glass” at the iHeart Festival in October. Although she has shown off strong vocals through other live performances, fans, including myself, especially loved getting to hear Cyrus’ voice in a more rock–infused context.  

Between the time of this cover and the announcement of the album, fans begged for an official release of her rendition of the Blondie song on streaming platforms. On release day, I was happy to see that, along with one other live track, ‘Heart of Glass’ appears as track 14. 

The lead single, “Midnight Sky” was released on Aug. 14 and fulfilled my expectations in the best way possible. Throughout the song, you hear a variety of different decades’ influence, but it remains contemporary. A similar sentiment could be said for the entire record. 

The album opens with “WTF Do I Know” which lyrically tackles Cyrus’ relationships with her former husband, as well as the media. She unapologetically speaks on feeling liberated in a pop-punk mashup that begins to unveil the subject matter that listeners will hear throughout the rest of the record. 

Leading in with bongos, the title track follows. In this track Cyrus discusses the toxicity of California and her desperate want to feel something. In the chorus she even references The Mamas & The Papas’ song “California Dreamin’” by stating “I’ve been California-dreamin,’ Plastic hearts are bleeding.” 

Track number three is titled “Angels Like You” and is a much more stripped-down song that touches back to her country roots and is tied with vulnerable lyrics. “Angels Like You” is one of my favorites from the album and holds its own within the up-tempo world Cyrus has created. 

The next song is the second single and the first feature on the album. Featuring Dua Lipa, “Prisoner” taps into the 80s (which is no surprise given Lipa’s release of “Future Nostalgia”) and discusses controlling and manipulative relationships that makes the two singers feel trapped. 

The other voices heard on this album, include Billy Idol on “Night Crawling,” Joan Jett & The Blackhearts on “Bad Karma,” and Stevie Nicks on an “Edge of Seventeen” and “Midnight Sky” mashup: “Edge of Midnight.” These collaborations do not necessarily propel the album; however, their inclusion seems essential in an album that pays homage to rock influences from previous generations.  

In “Gimme What I Want,” Cyrus is indifferent about searching for a new relationship. This song takes on a more industrial rock and pop fusion that can be heard through the opening baseline and the chorus. 

After listening for a short time, as of now, out of the 12 tracks (not including the live recordings or the “Midnight Sky” remix) my favorites are “Angels Like You,” “Gimme What I Want,” “Never Be Me,” “Midnight Sky” and “Plastic Hearts.” 

I am excited to see which songs are going to receive music videos and, overall, I want to see where Cyrus’ artistry takes her within the visual and conceptual aspects of this era.  

“Plastic Hearts” takes on a life of its own amongst Miley Cyrus’ previous discography and is the most inspired and fitting evolution for her. It has personally become one of my favorite albums from this year and is characteristically in tune with the nods to the previous decades that we have been hearing throughout the music releases in 2020.