Miley Cyrus’ fifth studio album, “Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz,” proves she doesn’t need the backing of a major record label to make a successful album.
Cyrus, aside from her controversial role as a VMA host, did nothing to promote the album except yell at viewers before the credits rolled at the end of the show.
The surprise release is new for Cyrus, but not unexpected, as many artists such as Beyoncé and Drake have recently released surprise albums.
Teasing demos on social media months before release, Cyrus didn’t try to hide she was working on something new.
Her previous effort, 2013’s “Bangerz,” was produced with expensive equipment and a traditional marketing plan. “Bangerz” cost a couple million dollars to produce, while “Dead Petz” cost only a measly $50,000.
The lack of thick and expensive production was evident, as Cyrus swapped radio-ready choruses for stripped down cosmic musing.
The tracklist is overwhelming. There are 23 songs — some with titles like “Milky Milky Milk” and “Slab of Butter (Scorpion)” — and others that are too inappropriate to print.
The first track, “Dooo It,” is the epitome of Cyrus’ recent image — pot-smoking, peace-loving and headstrong. While the song is the closest on the album to being single-worthy, it tells listeners songs like “Wrecking Ball” are a thing of Cyrus’ past.
After such a high-energy lead track, Cyrus explores a darker theme with the second song, a dreary mid-tempo titled “Karen Don’t Be Sad.” The composition is strangely reminiscent of Cyrus’ 2010 cover of “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” and shows a more mature side of the artist both emotionally and sonically.
The next two tracks follow the lead of “Karen,” with depressing psychedelic production created by the Flaming Lips.
For the fifth track, “Space Boots,” Cyrus teamed up with Oren Yoel, producer of “Adore You,” one of the strongest offerings on 2013’s “Bangerz.” A depressing and chillingly honest psychedelic mid-tempo song, “Space Boots,” is a cry for help from Cyrus, who expresses her need for drugs and alcohol after her lover’s departure. The song displays the strongest lyrics on the album so far, proving Yoel and Cyrus to be a dynamic duo.
Yoel reappears on the album with the Flaming Lips in “BB Talk.” While the lyrics are cringe-worthy, the song presents the best production on the album, with a ’90s Robyn-esque beat layered over expected dirty talk from Cyrus.
After “BB Talk,” the album delves into a weird, sexual, drugged-out part of the album one could only expect from Cyrus.
“Bang Me Box,” a Mike WiLL Made It production about lesbian sex, brings Miley into the free-sexual space that would make the Duggars blush.
While the Mike WiLL Made It productions on the album aren’t necessarily unlistenable, they sound too much like “Bangerz” on an otherwise rock influenced album and portray Cyrus’ music as a caricature rather than art.
Cyrus’ vulnerability turned out to be the biggest star of the album, shining brighter than any of her big-name producers.
“Pablow the Blowfish,” performed by Cyrus in May, seems to be an ode to her dead pet fish. But after a few listens of the self-produced track, the lyrics could be interpreted as a motif for a lost lover.
Cyrus’ outlandishly vulnerable lyrics continue until the album’s final song, with the self-produced gem, “Twinkle Song.”
From an early point in her career, ballads have been Cyrus’ strong suit, and “Twinkle Song” is no exception. The piano ballad shows off Cyrus’ often under-appreciated pipes, with unexpected lyrics and beautiful composition.
“Twinkle Song” is a career-defining song for Cyrus and is a refreshingly naked ending to a sometimes self-absorbed album with far too many songs.
Ultimately, the album is unexpected from Cyrus, who until recently, relied on radio hits and heavy promotion from a record label.
She gets it almost right with “Dead Petz,” offering more hits than misses.
Although the record is unfocused at times, it offers strong tracks that would make a more cohesive listening experience — if only the ridiculous and unfitting tracks were eliminated.
Grayson Senner is a 19-year-old mass communication sophomore from New Orleans. You can reach him on Twitter @graysonsenner.