Miley Cyrus goes avant-garde

Switched on Pop

Vox Media Podcast Network

Music Interviews, Music History, Music, Music Commentary

4.6 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 8 April 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Miley Cyrus just released three singles from her ninth studio album, Something Beautiful. Inspired by Pink Floyd's The Wall—specifically the 1982 feature film based on the album—Cyrus is not just sharing new music but a whole visual album, each song accompanied by a music video shot by director Panos Cosmatos. We last heard from Cyrus in 2023 with her massive smash "Flowers," which found the industry veteran finding some kind of inner peace. With her new songs, Cyrus is turning from healing herself to healing the world. She described the project as "a concept album that’s an attempt to medicate somewhat of a sick culture through music." What does such an endeavor sound like? For one, a lot of surprising textures and collaborators: Shoegaze guitarists, jazz saxophonists, indie rock producers. At least, sounds that are surprising to those who only know Cyrus from "Flowers," "Wrecking Ball," and "Party in the USA." The true Miley stans expect the unexpected from an artist who, it turns out, has always been weird. Songs Discussed Miley Cyrus - Flowers, Prelude, Something Beautiful, End of the World, Dooo It!, Malibu, Cattitude (feat. RuPaul), Plastic Hearts Blank Banshee - Eco Zones Caroline Polachek, Oneohtrix Point Never - Long Road Home D'Angelo - Send It On Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders - Journey In Satchidananda Whitney - Forever Turned Around ABBA - Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen Alvvays - Easy On Your Own? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Thumbtack presents the ins and outs of caring for your home.
0:04.0	Out. Uncertainty. Self-doubt.
0:08.0	Stressing about not knowing where to start.
0:11.0	In. Plans and guides that make it easy to get home projects done.
0:16.0	Out. Word art. Sorry, we have laugh lovers. In, knowing what to do, when to do it, and who to hire.
0:26.5	Start caring for your home with confidence. Download Thumbtack today.
0:41.1	Welcome to Switch on Pop. I'm musicologist Nate Sloan.
0:44.8	And I'm songwriter Charlie Harding.
0:46.1	Charlie Harding, unlike a lot of people out there, I have a lot of sympathy for massive world-beating pop stars.
0:52.6	A lot of you say that.
0:53.6	I mean, it looks easy, right?
0:54.7	You're on top of the world.
0:55.7	You're fully in control.
0:57.5	But I think you and I know better.
0:59.1	Actually, these pop stars, these people at the top of their game, they have a lot of pressure
1:04.6	on them.
1:05.1	They have a lot of expectations.
1:07.2	Every single musical and cultural move they make is under intense scrutiny.
1:12.6	Every release is not just a musical statement.
1:15.6	It is a referendum on your entire personality and worldview.
1:20.5	Fame is isolating. I don't wish it upon anybody.
1:23.3	Heavy lies the head, Charles.
	...

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