Miley Cyrus, an American singer, songwriter, and actor released her seventh studio album, Plastic Hearts on Friday, Nov. 25. The album includes 12 songs and collaborations with notable artists including Dua Lipa, Billy Idol, and Joan Jett. After losing her house and many of the recordings previously intended to be included on Plastic Hearts to wildfires in California, Cyrus had to rework her album and delay the album’s release. Despite this delay, Plastic Hearts proves to be Miley Cyrus’ most complex and meaningful album yet. It succeeds in crafting an emotional mood and shows true artistry, something that Cyrus’ previous albums have struggled to do. 

The first song on the album is WTF Do I Know, a song that expresses Cyrus’ feelings surrounding the way she has been perceived by the media. When first listening to this song it instantly reminded me of the singer’s song On a Roll made for her character on the Netflix show Black Mirror because of the fast-paced beat preceding the lyrics. After listening to the song for a few more seconds, more rock elements were incorporated into the beat making the song differ greatly from On a Roll. This track does a fine job of establishing the truthful nature of the album and additionally allows Cyrus to introduce a rock sound that strays away from the pop genre of her previous albums. 

WTF Do I Know is followed by the title song Plastic Hearts. Plastic Hearts is easily my favorite song off of the album with its both unique and funky lyrics. I personally found the composition and lyrics of the song very pretty and fitting. The song’s lyrics are written about disliking yourself and references the song California Dreamin’ by The Mamas & The Papas multiple times. This song perfectly sums up the objectives of the album with its new advanced sound and emotional reflection. Angels Like You, my second favorite song off of the album seemed almost as a tribute to the artist’s previous sound. While the song’s meaning seems more faded and repetitive compared to other tracks on the album, it’s still a beautiful ballad and is one of the best on Plastic Hearts. 

The album has four tracks featuring other artists along with Cyrus. These artists are Dua Lipa, Billy Idol, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, and Stevie Nicks on a Midnight Sky remix. My favorite collaboration from the album is Prisoner, the song with vocals from Dua Lipa. This track is the third most popular song and was a collaboration that I wasn’t expecting. Miley Cyrus and Dua Lipa’s voices blend together perfectly creating an alternative pop-rock anthem. Night Crawling, a song with a feature from Billy Idol followed Prisoner as my second favorite collaboration. I feel as if this track deserved to be a single along with Prisoner because of the dynamic present between Idol and Cyrus. 

The most streamed song on Plastic Hearts is Midnight Sky and while I liked this song it definitely wasn’t one of my favorites. Compared to other tracks, I felt as if this song was less unique and more repetitive thematically. Aside from the lyrics and aesthetic of the song, the disco-pop sound allowed it to shine and become the most successful on Plastic Hearts. Gimme What I Want contrasted with Plastic Hearts and is more representative of the artist’s new sound with its combined rock and pop sounds, but isn’t nearly as catchy. I also think the lyrics of the song were more unique and fitting to the sentimental album. 

Plastic Hearts allows for Miley Cyrus to grow past her previously emphasized sounds and is a great listen. This is definitely my favorite album out of the singer’s seven albums and is the only one that I find myself wanting to listen to again. While many of Cyrus’ albums have been commercially successful, this one is the most advanced in terms of sounds and allows you to clearly see her evolution as an artist. The album was a perfect mix of alternative rock and disco pop songs and is worth a listen for anyone who enjoys either of these genres or has enjoyed her work previously. I am definitely looking forward to future projects by Cyrus and how her sound will continue to evolve.