When Miley Cyrus dropped her fifth album, “Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz”, after her wild Video Music Awards performance, many fans weren’t sure what to expect. Created outside of her record label for $50,000, Cyrus released her newest album through SoundCloud after hosting VMA’s. “Dead Petz” is a mix of songs that include potential dance beats, slow songs, and just generally interesting jams.
When you enter the website, www.mileycyrus.com/andherdeadpetz, you’ll be greeted with one of three things: Cyrus’ face covered in glitter, her face dripping with milk, or her face covered in a gooey sprinkle mixture. All weird, all very Miley-esque.
The album’s first track “Dooo It!!” kicks off the “Dead Petz” with a strange yet catchy vibe. The song captured Cyrus fans attention when she performed it alongside her drag-queen friends during the song’s debut at the VMAs. Believe it or not, “Dooo It!!” isn’t even the weirdest track on the album.
In “Slab of Butter (Scorpion) (featuring Sarah Barthel of Phantogram),” Cyrus sings about how she “feels like a slab of butter that is melting in the sun” over and over again. First of all, I would like to know where she found Sarah Barthel of Phantogram because I’ve never heard of her and I’m guessing neither has 98% of the population. Second, why does she feel like butter? Some things we’ll never know.
To balance out all of the funky-druggie songs on the album, Cyrus included a few slower, more emotional tracks. In a few songs, she sounds like she’s channelling her inner Lana del Rey, especially in tracks like “Cyrus Skies” and “Evil is but a Shadow.” Her vocals are different and have an edgy feel, making her sultrier songs some of the best on the album.
Since the albums title seems to infer many of the songs would include dead pets, I was surprised to find that only two of the 23 songs were dedicated to her deceased animals. The pets that made the cut included her husky Floyd, whom she sang about in “The Floyd Song (Sunrise),” and a blowfish named Pablow, who caused an excessive outburst of tears from Cyrus in “Pablow the Blowfish.” I never knew someone could get so emotional about a fish, but the song is touching in a unique way and worth a listen.
Some critics have said that “Dead Petz” was Cyrus’ realest album. The singer exposes her sensitive side, reminding us that behind all the glitter tight plastic bras, Cyrus is a human being with feelings. Her softer side can be seen when she reveals her fears of never getting over someone (Liam, perhaps?) in “I Get So Scared” or when she actually starts screaming about how she’s unsure what her dreams mean in “Twinkle Song.”
After listening to nearly two hours of music, it was clear to me that “Dead Petz” is nothing like any of the albums Cyrus has come out with in the past. If you’re expecting something like “Bangerz,” you won’t find it here. It was very clear Cyrus followed no rules in the creation of this album besides doing whatever she wanted. Unless you’re a hardcore Miley fan and have supported everything she’s ever done or you’re just feeling psychedelic, then this album is probably not for you. Otherwise, pray that she lays off the drugs and that her next album is somewhat normal.
