Music — Consumed

2020 · Miley Cyrus

Plastic Hearts arrived as Miley's most coherent artistic statement in years, stripping away the genre experiments for a focused rock record that actually commits to the bit. The production, helmed largely by Andrew Watt, leans into big guitar tones and live drum feels that give the songs room to breathe, a stark contrast to the compressed pop she'd been making. Tracks like "Midnight Sky" and "Prisoner" work because they're not trying to be ironic about rock music, they're just good songs that happen to have guitars.

What makes the record compelling is Cyrus's vocal performance. Years of smoking and touring have left her with this permanently raspy texture that fits the material perfectly. She's not doing the Hannah Montana thing, and she's not doing the Bangerz shock value thing. She's singing like someone who's actually listened to Blondie and Fleetwood Mac records and understands how to work in that pocket. The Joan Jett and Billy Idol features aren't just celebrity cameos, they're contextual choices that make sense for what she's building.

The album's timing during 2020's lockdown gave it this unexpected resonance. Songs about nightlife and freedom hit differently when nobody could go anywhere. "Angels Like You" and "Golden G String" show range beyond the singles, with the latter leaning into country-rock territory that feels natural rather than calculated. Plastic Hearts works because it sounds like Miley finally stopped trying to prove something and just made the record she wanted to make.