Hi everyone! Shoulthony Dertano here, the internet's busiest music nerd, and it's time for a review of this new Miley Cyrus album, Bass Persuades.

Yes, a brand new record from singer and songwriter Miss Miley Cyrus, who I believe is simply going by Miley on this new album, which is her tenth. And it drops at a time in her career when, seemingly, she is looking back, but simultaneously plowing forward, too. As recently as she did come out with that "Younger You" single for the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special, which obviously had a lot of longtime fans feeling quite nostalgic.

But just before that, in spring 2025, she dropped the album Something Beautiful, a record that, commercially, you could say was a bit of a flop. I mean, it did hit the top ten for at least a moment, but was kind of devoid of anything you could clock as a major hit. Which was a contrast from the record that preceded it, Endless Summer Vacation, one of Miley's more surface-level and uninspired projects so far. Yet it contained tracks like "Flowers," which were basically inescapable for the better part of a year.

Meanwhile, Something Beautiful, a few years down the road, was so much more daring, epic, and challenging. With huge arrangements, heavy, monstrous horns, and a pretty versatile genre palette. And expansive song structures, too. Really a surprise for someone of Miley's pop caliber. But I guess it's worth remembering that this is the same person who did come out with Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz all those years ago.

So yeah, still, this was a real adventure for her musically, in my view. Yet the industry rewarded her with not so much as a peep, with even many critics being kind of underwhelmed by the risks this album was taking, too. But again, to me, Miley was really going for it and nailing it on this LP, with an impressive roster of co-collaborators helping her engineer this alternative pop shift. The likes of Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers are named in the liner notes of this album, as well as Jonathan Rado of Foxygen fame, Pino Palladino, Brittany Howard, too, and many, many more. There was even a deluxe version of this record that contained a 13-minute-long song with a David Byrne feature on it.

So yeah, ambitious record, and it left me wondering whether or not this kind of high-wire act energy would be maintained in this new chapter of Miley's career. And if her goal is to keep us on our toes, I certainly was not expecting a follow-up to that album so soon, just a year down the road, which comes in the form of Bass Persuades.

And we led into this album cycle with some interesting visuals that seemed to be a bit of a nod to PJ Harvey's "This Is Love" video, as well as a track list that sports features from the likes of Model/Actriz. Yes, industrial, no-wave, weirdos, Model/Actriz, that Model/Actriz. And then we also had the title track, and then we had the title track, lead single of this thing, which was kind of an electropop number, geared for the dance floor not just musically but lyrically too, with meta writing about how the kids don't dance anymore. And while the grooves on this track were certainly respectable, conceptually it felt maybe a little too on the nose.

I don't know, I feel like music of this flavor shouldn't go down like medicine, and this one kind of did. So again, with the style of this single and some of the interesting features listed on this record, I was wondering what Bass Persuades would hold.

And ultimately, in my view, the album is really a mixed bag. Maybe one of Miley's messiest and unfocused projects ever. And I wouldn't be surprised if what we were hearing, to some degree, is at least a bunch of leftover tracks and experiments from her two previous album cycles that are just seeing the light of day now.

Following "Bass Persuades," we have "Different Religion," which of course has the Model/Actriz feature on it, and it's handling my favorite here. It's a dark, throbbing, sexy cut that's wrapped in chains and leather, set to the beat of some harsh strobe lights. You also have Model/Actriz' trademark rhythm guitars in the mix, dark and sinister vibes that run kind of parallel to acts such as Nine Inch Nails. Cole's vocal chemistry with Miley is excellent here, and of course there is an anthemic hook that sweetens the track up quite nicely for that mainstream pop flair, but as it gets catchier, it doesn't kind of lose that moody and dramatic feel.

Now, between these two tracks that kick the record off, I was kind of hoping for the rest of Bass Persuades to kind of maintain a similar tone in terms of mood and danceability. But the record immediately detours into "Let's Get Married," which is a kind of dreamy ballad that feels like an extra from the Endless Summer Vacation era, but maybe a bit more synthy and dusty. It's simply just fine. Not one of Miley's stronger slow burners, for sure.

But it certainly sounds strong in comparison with the following track, "Orbit," whose pacing is even worse and is, I would say, a more serious attempt at something dramatic. And while Miley does put a respectable vocal performance on this one for sure, the overly pristine amphitheater grand piano passages that are laced throughout this song feel more fitting for a Hans Zimmer piece than a pop record.

Then "Aftermath" switches things up once again with a kind of trance-y pop fusion piece that feels very late 90s, but in the most dated way. It's weird how Miley, with Y2K vibes currently being at a high in terms of demand, somehow came out with a song here that really serves as more of a reminder of why a lot of these aesthetics grew less popular over time.

The song "RED LIGHTS" is maybe one of the few other tracks on this record I genuinely enjoy, but it's not without its derivative elements as well, as this song feels almost like the quirkier cousin and feels almost like any number of mid-to-late 70s ABBA songs.

Following this, we have "Neon Signs" with Andrew Wyatt of Mike Snow, who actually does have a decent amount of vocal chemistry with Miley. This is a pretty solid duet that is eventually kind of derailed through this very odd bridge that features a lot of moaning and very weird vocalizations that, personally, I find to be kinda awkward. And sadly, the record does not pick up from here, in its final moments, either.

The song "Innocent Ways" is a pumping piece of disco and electro that isn't too much unlike "Walk of Fame," from Something Beautiful. But the production isn't anywhere near as interesting, and a lot of the lyrics just kinda feel like Miley is airing out her sister's dirty laundry...? Or at least that's how it reads on the surface, unless she's writing from a different perspective entirely. The thing is the song isn't well-written or compelling enough compositionally to make all of the and he's like long passages of sung-spoken vocals worth it. It's just a very tiresome and meandering song, with little to no payoff. Where it's clear that Miley has a lot to say, a lot to get off her chest, but clearly doesn't have the chorus or the structure to justify this level of exposition.

And then after this we have "Snow," which also doesn't really have much punch or weight to it. And then a "Bass Persuades remixx"? Are we just ending off with a remix in the formal tracklist? And I mean, I guess kicking things off with Bass Persuades and then the remix at the end is a bit, interesting. It's different. It's random, but I guess that's the kinda issue that I have with this album overall. It's like, very random.

Doesn't really feel like there's too much calculation or forethought going into much of anything going on. Or how any of it's coming together, because to me, this is also a very lopsided record. You have a couple of decent and formidable bangers. But a majority of the material Miley actually ended up putting into the tracklist on this one is actually very boring and underwhelming in tone. And this is kinda shocking for an artist who seemingly has had one very focused and purposeful album rollout and cycle after the next, with each new record kinda taking on and really digging into a different direction or sound and style. The rock album, the country album.

If anything, this album feels more like a compilation or a Something Beautiful deluxe. But instead, it's being marketed as just an album. An album with a lot of weak, redundant, and unmemorable tracks on it, frankly. Which is why I'm feeling about a light five on this one.

Anthony Fantano. Miley Cyrus. Forever.