Miley Cyrus delivers a surprisingly restrained album with "Endless Summer Vacation" follow-up "Bass Persuades," which contradicts its own title promise of hard-hitting production and aggressive persuasion.
The title track and lead single arrived two and a half weeks before the album's release, setting expectations for a project packed with club-ready bangers and bass-heavy sonics. Instead, the record pivots toward something gentler, more introspective, and less aligned with the bombastic energy its marketing suggested. The disconnect between promise and delivery defines the listening experience here.
Cyrus has never been one to play it safe creatively. After the critical success of "Endless Summer Vacation" in 2023, which captured a more vulnerable side of the pop superstar, the "Bass Persuades" lead single teased a return to her Plastic Hearts era of confident swagger and attitude. That track's title itself functioned as a dual provocation, winking at both the bass lines and the persuasive power of pop stardom. The execution here, however, proves more nuanced and less confrontational than the setup implied.
The album finds Cyrus in a reflective mode. Pretty arrangements dominate the tracklist. Lush production choices replace the anticipated bass drops and aggressive percussion. Songs lean into melody and emotional weight rather than visceral impact. For listeners seeking the party-ready energy "Bass Persuades" promised, the disconnect frustrates. For those expecting another melancholic chapter from the Cyrus narrative following her previous album cycle, there's more to appreciate here.
What emerges is neither fully committed to its aggressive posturing nor entirely successful as a cohesive artistic statement. The album occupies an uncomfortable middle ground, aesthetically pleasant but lacking the conviction that would elevate it beyond competent pop songwriting. Cyrus clearly wanted to explore territory between her vulnerable Vanilla Sky era and her rock-inflected Plastic Hearts moment, but the result feels scattered rather than intentional.
The production work itself deserves credit. Cyrus collaborated with various producers to craft textures that span from indie-pop sensibilities to mainstream radio polish. These sonic choices individually impress, but together they lack architectural coherence. One track flows into another without building thematic momentum or creating the sense of a unified artistic vision guiding the project.
Vocally, Cyrus performs with her characteristic control and phrasing nuance. Her voice carries the material with the professionalism fans expect. The songwriting touches on familiar Cyrus terrain: relationships, self-discovery, the peculiar burden of celebrity. Nothing here offends, but nothing particularly startles either.
The title's bait-and-switch ultimately becomes the story. "Bass Persuades" marketed itself as one thing and delivered another, leaving listeners with a decent but forgettable pop album that fails to convince on either of its promised fronts. For Cyrus, known for bold artistic choices and reinvention, this represents a notably timid chapter.