I can buy myself flowers…but I would rather not. I hope I can win your heart with my review of Miley Cyrus’s new album, Endless Summer Vacation.
Join me for a discussion of each song on the album. I’ll be past the manta rays and palm trees if you get lost.
We’re going to go through this one song at a time. Come with me and don’t forget your tea!
1. “Flowers”
The lead single on Endless Summer Vacation is deceptively plain and derivative.
How was I to know what a ride the rest of the album would be?
“Flowers” was OK the first time I heard it, and despite my evolving feelings on this album as a whole, this song has stayed consistently meh for me over the last five months.
2. “Jaded”
“Jaded” didn’t do it for me on first listen, but since then I’ve grown to appreciate it some. It’s not going to change your life, but it’s a worthy addition to the album.
3. “Rose Colored Lenses”
Listening to the album in order, this is the first song that sticks out in any way. Its tapering melodies and chugging base chords put me on a poolside somewhere, finally invoking that summertime vibe I expected from the start.
There’s a bittersweetness here. “We could stay like this forever, lost in wonderland” Miley sings, but you just know that’s not how the story plays out.
“Wearin’ rose colored lenses, let’s just play pretend,” she begs throughout the song. Nostalgic guitar and saxophone runs flurry in the background.
It’s the perfect song for a midsummer tryst.
4. “Thousand Miles (feat. Brandi Carlile)”
I wasn’t expecting a fingerstyle guitar moment on this record. But I’m always here for a fingerstyle guitar moment.
Guitar chords set a western backdrop to the chorus; filtered string harmonies add intrigue; a harmonica invokes dusty country highways; and rhythmic chirping vocalizations make this just unusual enough to be a Miley Cyrus song.
The lyrics have yet to hit me as hard as I want them to, but the production of this track alone makes it a standout on the record.
At this point in the album, I also feel very much like we’re back in the early 2000s. Ask me more about that later.
5. “You”
I don’t mean to offend “You,” but I often forget this song exists.
However, it’s a perfectly regular and inoffensive addition to the album. I wouldn’t go out of my way to skip “You,” but it’s not one I visit often.
The vibes? Sunlight piercing through a grimy bar window while a blond woman sings an original song on the karaoke stage.
(I have to add that I am currently listening to this album in over-ear headphones for the first time, and have just noticed the laser-beam effects in the outro. Truly some PlayStation 2 energy.)
6. “Handstand”
There’s Miley.
This song screams Bangerz and Dead Petz like nothing else on the album. And, forgive me, but this just wouldn’t feel like a summer Miley album without a pinch of drug-induced delirium and experimentation.
My only complaint, really, is that the intro is a bit of a steep price to pay to get to the hilariously wackadoo chorus (?).
But I really am questioning the science because I don’t understand how she’s doing what she’s doing in a fucking handstand. So true, Miley.
Don’t ask me to explain why Skrillex made a Miley Cyrus song. Don’t ask me who Big Twitchy is.
Just meet me on the neon dinghy.
7. “River”
This is where it’s at.
I’m so glad I waited a few months to review this album, because it took a little while for this song to sink its hooks in me.
But now, like salmon swimming upstream each summer to mate and die, this song returns to my daily playlist again and again without fail.
Something about those bubbling “futuristic” synths just screams late 90s/early 2000s. I haven’t heard any other modern pop songs try that style.
For that reason, I feel that this is a turning point on the album. This is where I fully turn from “Why are we doing this?” to “Wow, I’m so glad we’re doing this.”
“River” is the bop on Endless Summer Vacation.
8. “Violet Chemistry”
Miley rides the momentum with this synthy bop.
I love the melodies in the verses. I love hearing modern production interlaced with generation-old sonic influences once again. I love the bridge about fingers dancing and making a Monet–once again, a little splash of oddball to make this feel like a Miley song.
This is one of the songs on Endless Summer Vacation I listen to most, so you can bet it will be near the top of my ranking.
9. “Muddy Feet (feat. Sia)”
Sorry, friends, but this one doesn’t do it for me.
We love vulnerability in our songs, but this just feels like I’m eavesdropping on Miley and Liam in the worst possible moment.
It’s uncomfy. I’m skipping.
Thankfully, “Muddy Feet” doesn’t overstay its welcome. The Sia feature even has the good taste to simply run a brief choral outro.
10. “Wildcard”
This is vulnerability done right.
If we’ve learned anything about Miley Cyrus in the last 10 years, it’s that she isn’t one to play any part assigned to her. She isn’t what the world expects of a woman. A girlfriend. A wife.
“Forever may never come,” she sings. Sharing in that realization with her kinda sucks, but it’s a feeling straight from the source. I have to thank her for that.
That said, I would be lying to say “Wildcard” is anywhere but bottom 3 of my most-played tracks on the album.
11. “Island”
I’ve mentioned the 90s and 2000s influences injected into this record.
But this song takes me back to a time before I was born. Because this song is positively Totoesque.
I love the flow of the pre-chorus. “Mama told me, ‘Girl, smoke ’em if you got ’em.’ I left my lighter back at home with all my problems” gets me vibing every time.
And the chorus is simple but sufficient. As the title might suggest, this is the most overtly summer song on the album.
“Island” is one of my favorites because it sounds great and encapsulates a post-breakup question in one simple metaphor:
“Am I stranded on an island, or have I landed in paradise?”
12. “Wonder Woman”
“Wonder Woman” has some unusual influences.
It gives Sarah McLachlan. It gives “Please rise and remove your caps.” It gives “For 50 cents a day, you can help an animal in need. Please. They’re waiting for your donation. Call today.”
So if you ever wanted a song that sounds like a national anthem and an ASPCA commercial all at once, you’re in luck.
A nice message, but it’s a skip, I fear.
13. “Flowers (Demo)”
Most of my comments about “Flowers” still apply here. I go back and forth on which I like more, but ultimately I don’t think it matters much, for neither is an album highlight.
I do like the raw vocals here a bit more than the single version, though, I admit.
Endless Summer Vacation Review and Track Ranking
Miley’s new album has some highlights and lowlights, but I am happy I waited a while to review it. It didn’t resonate with me at all on first listen, but now that I know where to look, I get much more enjoyment out of it.
The production stands out most. This is one of the most experimental records I’ve heard this decade so far. And I guess we’re getting into 2000s nostalgia now? Crazy.
Here is how I rank these songs from worst to best:
- “Muddy Feet (feat. Sia)”
- “Wonder Woman”
- “You”
- “Wildcard”
- “Jaded”
- “Flowers (Demo)”
- “Flowers”
- “Handstand”
- “Rose Colored Lenses”
- “Island”
- “Thousand Miles (feat. Brandi Carlile)”
- “Violet Chemistry”
- “River”
Thank you so much for reading my review and ranking of Miley Cyrus’s new album, Endless Summer Vacation. Don’t forget to subscribe so you’re one of the first to read my newest posts. Hope to see you again soon! -T
Tyler's Tea Time 