Miley Cyrus’ Highly Anticipated “Plastic Hearts” Is Here, Here Are My Thoughts After One Listen

Posted On November 27, 2020

Samantha Colleran, November 2020

Following incredibly positive feedback from her recent rock covers including Blondie and the Cranberries, Miley Cyrus’ rock driven album is officially here! She entered this era with a fantastic Stevie Nicks inspired song, and her rock persona only got better and better. With stellar features including Dua Lipa, Billy Idol, and one of the leading ladies of rock Ms. Joan Jett, Plastic Hearts is certainly a fantastic way to end the Thanksgiving season and lead into the final month of the year. 

“WTF Do I Know” emulates the rock and roll energy of those who came before Miley. She addresses different ‘scandals’ she’s been involved in over the years, but the chorus talks about how in all honesty, Miley is coming into her own and taking charge of her own life like a boss. I can see this lighting up stadiums. There’s a “Sympathy For The Devil” feel with the title track “Plastic Hearts”, where she talks about “California dreamin’/ Plastic hearts are bleeding”. It feels like a vulnerable song where Miley talks about not wanting to get close to people and falling into the ups and downs of Hollywood. Please also note the sickening guitar solo during the bridge. 

Third track “Angels Like You” is stripped back and has achingly beautiful lyrics about a love that just doesn’t work. “Baby, angels like you can’t fly down hell with me”, the chorus ends with. You can feel the pain in Miley’s voice as she sings about a broken love, it feels like her version of a rock ballad and the addition of new instruments as the song goes on is just incredible. The first collaboration featured on the album is dirty, sexy, rock pop anthem “Prisoner” featuring Dua Lipa. The pair mesh so well together, Dua’s easy and smooth vocals compliment Miley’s gritty rock vocals so perfectly. The pair have also both sung about heartbreak and bad relationships a number of times, so it would only be right to have the two sing together. “Gimme What I Want” leans into more of a 90s rock feel, but it’s still great. It’s a lust filled song about wanting a lover, but if they can’t provide what Miley’s looking for, she can “give it [my]self”. 

Billy Idol collab “Night Crawling” sounds exactly the way you would expect it; like a Billy Idol song. The pre chorus is jumpy and hones in on the synth sound with a bit of a rockier chorus. The final chorus showcases the rocky gravely voice Miley has perfected so quickly, and the instrumental breakdown is very 80s and very good. “Midnight Sky” is still a solid single choice and a great way to introduce listeners to a newer sound. It’s the perfect blend between the 80s pop sounding synth and the rock nature of 1980s Stevie’s solo career. (The remix of “Edge Of Seventeen” and “Midnight Sky” is also available on the album, which is a bonus)! “High” is another acoustic moment among the tracks, we get a more relaxed vibe with incredible harmonies added during the second verse. The lyrics are about the aftermath of a breakup where you don’t really miss the person anymore but they don’t leave your mind no matter how hard you try to keep yourself from thinking. It was very close to moving me to tears; whether it was the lyrics or the intensity of the layered harmonies I’m not sure, but either way it’s incredible. 

“Hate Me” talks about what would happen if Miley were to suddenly die (spoiler, she “hope[s] all of her friends get drunk and high”) and how the attention from people around the world would suddenly talk about her positively instead of focusing on the rumors and events surrounding her life. It’s sad yet happyish sounding in nature, something I always love about songs. “Bad Karma” is a drum driven track about a lover who cheats. Joan Jett sounds better than ever on this track, and the way their voices blend when they sing “Kiss me bad karma” is beyond words. It’s not totally what I expected, but it certainly did not disappoint. It’s got a cool and confident sound, I love it. 

Miley slows it down again for “Never Be Me” and it has a “Time After Time” feel to it. The lyrics talk about how Miley tries to be the “stable”, “faithful” person, but she has trouble doing so in relationships. I’m obsessed with the lyrics of the bridge, “You give me a reason to run from the fire/ ‘Cause baby, you’re the only one”. “Golden G String” is a reflective piece about the current world we live in, where men are in control. Miley opens up about how she’s been trying to “own [her] power” but was ridiculed constantly for trying to learn about herself. It’s a powerful statement and feels like an anthem of some sorts. “The old boys hold all the cards and they ain’t playin’ gin/ And you dare to call me crazy, have you looked around this place”. Despite the fact she’s been torn down, she decides that she needs to stay and continue being herself. It’s a statement, Miley’s continuing to grow into her own skin and won’t let anyone’s comments tear her down.

The final three tracks are the “Edge Of Seventeen x Midnight Sky” remix, as well as live versions of two of Miley’s most loved covers, “Heart Of Glass” and “Zombie”.

Sam’s Song Selection

1. “High”: A gorgeous sounding song and a vulnerable side of Miley I wasn’t expecting to hear, but am so glad I’m able to listen to. 

2. “WTF Do I Know”: Such a powerful move opening the album with this song, it’s the perfect rock driven track. 

3. “Prisoner” ft. Dua Lipa: This is tied with “Plastic Hearts” on my list after the first listen, but for the sake of the post I’m choosing “Prisoner” for the incredible combination of two powerful females in the industry giving us the fantastic blend of edgy 80s rock vibes and stellar vocals. 

Although it wasn’t as hard rock as I was expecting, I’m overall completely satisfied with this album, and I hope that Miley makes more rock music in the future because she has such a feel for it! Let me know your thoughts on Plastic Hearts in the comments, and tell me your favorite song!