More about: Miley Cyrus

On her eighth studio album, Miley Cyrus swaps endless experimentation for a solid set of self-affirming anthems. As a result, Endless Summer Vacation is the artist’s most cohesive and mature record to date.

The pre-release promotional campaign has been subdued for a Miley Cyrus album. At 30, the artist is past the need to provoke – she’s already got our attention. The album’s lead single ‘Flowers’ was dropped with little build-up. Instead, Cyrus’ fans drove the hype, delving into the track’s lyrics and the circumstances surrounding its release. The track has already broken multiple streaming and chart records around the world. It is by no means Cyrus’ best work – it’s not even the best song on Endless Summer Vacation, but it summarises the record’s themes perfectly, with its mantra-like hook of ‘I can love me better than you can’ capturing a moment in pop-culture (carved out by the likes of Lizzo and Self Esteem) where self-love sells.

Like fellow pop icon Beyoncé, whose 2022 release RENAISSANCE paid homage to the history of dance music, Cyrus wears her varied influences on her sleeve. ‘Flowers’ responds to Bruno Mars’ ‘When I Was Your Man’ and invokes the insatiable hook of Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Will Survive’. It is followed by latest single ‘Jaded’ and ‘Rose Colored Lenses’, both dripping in hazy guitar lines and retro instrumentation.

Cyrus’ chameleonic nature has led to accusations of inauthenticity in the past. But only a few tracks into Endless Summer Vacation, you get the sense that this is the music that Miley really wants to make. Confessional, feel-good-pop, combined with glimpses of her previous rock, rap, and country personas.

It would be doing the album a disservice to reduce it simply to a breakup album. Undoubtedly there are traces of ex-husband Liam Hemsworth’s influence, maybe most evident in the rock ‘n’ rage fest that is ‘Muddy Feet’. But its much more than that – it’s a celebration of the self – personally and musically.

Dividing the album into AM and PM, Cyrus groups the slower sun-soaked ballads at the beginning, with ‘Handstand’ marking the transition to kaleidoscopic dancefloor-fillers.

‘Handstand’ is an interlude of sorts that feels like several ideas have been thrown together but it somehow works. It stands out as a career-highlight, with Miley treading new ground after an otherwise safe few songs. ‘Handstand’ sees Miley revisiting the rapping we witnessed on tracks like ‘SMS (Bangerz)’ and ‘Do My Thing’ a decade ago, but with the psychedelia-infused electronic production of the Dead Petz era, guiding listeners through a strange but satisfying sonic journey.

"You get the sense that this is the music that Miley really wants to make. Confessional, feel-good-pop, combined with glimpses of her previous rock, rap, and country personas..."

There’s plenty of fun to be had on Endless Summer Vacation – euphoric dance track ‘River’, for example, feels club-ready. A few tracks later, ‘Island’ marks another change in tempo, a laidback holiday anthem driven by a drum loop that you can’t help but nod your head in time to. It’s a welcome palate-cleanser after the aggressive ‘Muddy Feet’.

Piano-led tracks like ‘You’ and album closer ‘Wonder Woman’ strip things back, allowing Cyrus’ frankly phenomenal vocal range – something which she still is not given enough credit for – to shine, as well as the emotional depth of her songwriting. The latter feels simultaneously like a love letter to Cyrus’ younger self, a sort of sibling to ‘The Climb’, and a gift to her female-identifying fans.

Endless Summer Vacation is the product of an artist who has honed her craft, reconciling all the eras of her almost two-decade-long career, and one which not only cements Cyrus’ superstar status but showcases her infinite talent.

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More about: Miley Cyrus