Miley Cyrus – Younger Now (RCA)

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Younger Now is the (perhaps ironic) title of Miley Cyrus’ sixth studio album. After wrenching herself from Disney’s comically oversized clutches, she has spent the remainder of her discography figuring out her musical identity. The most prolific of these experiments were 2013’s aptly named Bangerz followed by 2015’s baffling stoner pop record Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz.

Younger Now is a complete 180, which can be read one of two ways. You can listen to it as a country-pop record that showcases an au naturelle Miley. Her lineage is strong. She is, after all, the  daughter of Achy-Breaky-Heart fame. Miley even ropes in her Godmother Dolly Parton on Rainbowland to warble about some rootin’ tootin’ utopia. Or you can see it as being a retrenchment into heartland Americana after unapologetically creating a bonafide pop record while giving off the impression she was bulletproof.

Let me be clear: by and large, I’m indifferent to Miley Cryus. But I will give credit when credit is due: Bangerz was a classically contemporary pop record, insofaras it interacted with the sound at the time. Furthermore, there were some sentiments that were sex positive, pro-women and encouraged diversity:

“It’s our party we can do what we want, it’s our party we can say what we want, It’s our party we can love who we want, we can kiss who we want/ it’s my mouth I can say what I want to.”

Not the worst lyrics I’ve heard in mainstream media.

Many critics called Bangerz out for cultural appropriation; by returning to her wholesome country roots, Miley has confirmed to them that she was never anything more than a cultural tourist. Which is a shame- vocally she suited the R&B style well, and brought a deranged sense of fun to a typically po-faced sound.

Younger Now is a tragically boring album, polished to a septic sheen. It sees Miley and/or her PR team attempt self-revision to the point of denying the existence of Wrecking Ball era Miley. Her lacklustre wholesome retrograde begins with the album art. Beaming cutely, Miley is trying as hard as possible to re-establish herself as the natural extension of, well, herself, circa Breakout. Released in 2008.

And it’s only downhill from there. As a music reviewer, I can understand how Bangerz and Petz would be cringeworthy to her now, but at least she was stretching herself artistically and as a person. This apology-pop is joyless, hookless, profitable shit. The safe, clunky lyrics don’t match the rhythms and the empty country music cliches coupled with the identical song structures left me feeling lethargic.

The aforementioned Rainbowland is nothing more than mushy escapism. Malibu is the result of a cut-price Sheryl Crow impersonator ripping lyrics straight from a Mills and Boon paperback. I Would Die For You– sure it shows her voice off, but I can’t help but feel she is trying to tap into the moralistic side of country in an attempt to reclaim her innocent image- and I find her/record companies’ need to do that deeply disturbing.

Her past records were messy, but they felt somewhat sincere. Younger Now comes across as completely disingenuous, a panicked cash grab that does nothing to extend Miley Cyrus or her sound, and perhaps worst of all, reinforces some frightening virgin-whore female stereotypes in mainstream media.

A forgettable album that is best forgotten about.

Kate Powell

The 13th Floor
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