Graphic by Atticus Ball
Miley Cyrus was nothing short of a pop juggernaut in the 2010s, but even the mighty fall some day.
Using Hannah Montana as a springboard for her music career, she dropped bangers like “Party in the U.S.A.,” “We Can’t Stop” and “Wrecking Ball.” However, the pop scene’s shift has left her behind.
Cyrus tried to recapture the essence of her hits in Bass Persuades but failed to put lightning back in the bottle, creating an album that feels stuck in 2015 — and not in a nostalgic way.
The 10-track album suffers from poor production, unbearable edginess and several conflicting styles that leave me wondering who Bass Persuades is even for.
Starting off on a sour note, the title track is the most apparent example of Cyrus, who is in her 30s, not moving on from teenage angst and immaturity. It has a bland beat that nearly drowns out the shallow and corny lyrics.
Forgetting there’s a world when this record is on
Ghosts run to Bermuda ‘cause there’s no one to haunt
Candy’s cut with fentanyl that nobody wants
There’s a remix of the track that closes out the album. Although, it sounds like the original track being spun by a high school homecoming’s DJ. Admittedly, it would make for somewhat decent rave music, but I can’t think of another situation where I’d want to listen to either version of “Bass Persuades” again.
“Different Religion,” the album’s second song, continues the downward trend. Featuring Boston rock band Model/Actriz, this track might be the most unbearable. The beat, if you can call it that, is a cross between construction noises and a horror movie soundtrack. Cyrus’ vocals carry the song, albeit with lyrics that could have been written by a middle schooler on Wattpad.
Not every track on Bass Persuades is bad. Some are mediocre. “Aftermath” is a generic breakup song with a disjointed beat and sporadic vocals. The equally snooze-worthy “REDLIGHTS” tried to imitate ‘70s synth-pop, but ended up getting a plagiarism accusation from French pop star Amanda Lear.
Although most of Bass Persuades is pop or pop-adjacent, Cyrus doesn’t seem to have the same affinity for the genre as in the past.
Cyrus’ heyday as a pop star has been over since 2017’s Younger Now. From then onward, she has been in music limbo. She’s too mature to be making songs about teenage love or adolescent angst, and her singing voice has turned husky and lower-pitched.
Throughout the late 2010s and into this decade, Cyrus has been experimenting with new sounds and music styles to varying levels of success. 2019’s SHE IS COMING was her attempt at hip hop, 2020’s Plastic Hearts is a surprisingly good glam rock album and 2023’s Endless Summer Vacation forayed into dance pop.
Most of the tracks on those albums saw modest success but never reached the heights of “Wrecking Ball” and “Party in the USA” — except for “Flowers” from the 2023 album. Despite being the worst track on Endless Summer Vacation, the song has billions of streams, largely due to its widespread use as a TikTok audio.
Cyrus must’ve seen the pattern of her uninspired songs surpassing her more personal work and tried to embrace the tameness in Bass Persuades. Many of the tracks on the album feel like they were engineered to be background sounds for Instagram stories and TikTok dances instead of heartfelt music.
However, there are a couple gems stuck in the album’s muck. These are products of Cyrus’ passion for songwriting rather than slop to appease algorithms.
“Let’s Get Married” is more contemporary R&B than pop and that’s what makes it shine. Guitar, bass, drums and keyboard mesh together in a slow but upbeat rhythm that support Cyrus’ husky vocals. The lyrics match her happy tone, with sweet words inspired by the singer’s engagement to her fiancee and producer, Maxx Morando.
The fourth track, “Orbit,” and the ninth track, “Snow,” also align closer with R&B, and while they aren’t as good as “Let’s Get Married,” they’re still leagues better than the edgy pop tracks on the album.
Both songs are slow, romantic and well produced, coming across as more authentic and personal to Cyrus than others on Bass Persuades. Given Cyrus’ two-decade-long pop career, it’s surprising that the best tracks on her new album are the ones nothing like her past work.
Based on what I’ve heard in Bass Persuades, Cyrus has some real potential if she jumps ship to the R&B genre. She’s been eclipsed by other pop stars in recent years, but she still has immense talent that she could put toward good music instead of trying to replicate the style that made her successful.
The first step in that metamorphosis might be her rebrand. Ahead of Bass Persuades, the singer dropped her last name. She now goes by the stage name Miley, sharing a last name with Cher, Beyoncé and Zendaya.
Going by her first name might’ve just been a publicity ploy, or maybe the singer is trying to start a new chapter. Regardless, I see potential in the new Miley, but she won’t get anywhere clinging to her pop past.
Bass Persuades — ★★★☆☆
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