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Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz Is Miley as You’ve Never Heard Her Before

5 minute read

Miley Cyrus is used to forcing her way to the center of attention. At the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, she upstaged much-hyped, dueling performances from Lady Gaga and Katy Perry with the twerk heard ’round the world. Two years later, returning to the program as a host, Cyrus may have stolen the show from Kanye West (whose acceptance speech was a masterclass in slightly stoned trolling) or at least Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj (who performed together after a high-profile Twitter spat) by closing out the ceremony and announcing—oh yeah—that she was releasing an album for free online that very evening.

Yet what stands out about that album, titled Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz, is how much she’s not at the center of it all—at least at first. Her head is elsewhere: “Yeah, I smoke pot/ Yeah, I love peace,” she cries on the twitchy opening number “Dooo it!,” which she debuted at Sunday’s awards show in a sea of drag queen contestants from RuPaul’s Drag Race. These 23 tracks are meant for lighting up and pondering the universe, if they’re not about indulging in those activities explicitly. More than half of them top four minutes in length, and several approach five or six. Being in the moment, at least in this dimension, is hardly the goal.

It isn’t just subject matter that accounts for Cyrus’ low-key presence, however. The songs themselves push her voice deep into the mix behind fuzzy guitars and ethereal keyboards she dreamed up with Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne, who lends his psychedelic touch to several songs. (In particular, his fingerprints are all over the “Yoshimi”-esque “Karen Don’t Be Sad.”) The tracks resemble leaked demos more than they do songs from Cyrus’ last album, 2013’s flashy Bangerz. There is a rough, homemade quality to the these sketches, even though master beatsmith and Bangerz architect Mike WiLL Made-It returned to the boards to produce a few songs. With a little self-editing and polish, some of the strongest ideas here could be transformed into more recognizable and digestible pop songs, but doing so would be beside the point.

Dead Petz is a collection of unhurried, un-airbrushed stoner-pop; it’s not a conventional Miley Cyrus album, and it can’t really be judged as one. It reportedly cost a fraction of what Bangerz did to make, it does not count toward her multi-album contract with RCA Records and Cyrus only presented the album to her label after it was complete. Because of that last fact, though, it feels more representative of Cyrus than anything else she’s done. “When I made Bangerz, it was as true to me then as this record is now,” she said in a recent New York Times interview about the making of the album. “It just happened naturally in my head. It’s like anything—styles just change.” She claims sole writing credits on 10 of 23 songs, and while some of those are more like interludes than complete compositions, others rank among the album’s best material (“Space Boots,” “Fweaky,” “Lighter”). All that negative space observed earlier, it turns out, is by her very design.

See the Evolution of Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus
Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus on Oct. 8, 1994 at Pyramid Arena in Memphis.Ron Galella, Ltd.—WireImage/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus
Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus in New York City on Feb. 9, 2006.Paul Hawthorne—Getty Images
Miley Cyrus and Vanessa Hutchinson
Vanessa Hudgens and Miley Cyrus in Los Angeles on Apr. 30, 2006.Steve Granitz—WireImage/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus
Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus at the 41st Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas on May 23, 2006.Kevin Winter—Getty Images
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus in Westwood, Calif., on July 17, 2006.Vince Bucci—Getty Images
Miley Cyrus Hannah Montana
Miley Cyrus as Hannah Montana in the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana on Nov. 2, 2008.Disney
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus in New York City on Oct. 23, 2006.Peter Kramer—Getty Images
Ashley Tisdale Miley Cyrus - MTV TRL
Miley Cyrus and Ashley Tisdale on MTV's TRL in New York City on June 20, 2006.Michael Loccisano—FilmMagic/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus performs as Hannah Montana in Uniondale, N.Y., on Dec. 27, 2007.Kevin Mazur—WireImage/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus at the 80th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 24, 2008.Kevin Mazur—WireImage/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus Dolly Parton
Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton in an episode of Disney's Hannah Montana on Dec. 7, 2007.Disney/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus Sweet Sixteen
Miley Cyrus celebrates her 16th birthday during the 2008 American Music Awards in Los Angeles on Nov. 23, 2008.Kevin Mazur—WireImage/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus Taylor Swift
Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift perform onstage at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 8, 2009.John Shearer—WireImage/Getty Images
Billy Ray Cyrus Miley Cyrus
Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus in the 2009 film Hannah Montana: The Movie.Disney
Miley Cyrus Billy Ray Cyrus Golden Globe
Tish, Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus at the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles on Jan. 11, 2009.NBC/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Jan. 31, 2010.Larry Busacca—Getty Images
Miley Cyrus - Teen Choice Award 2009
Miley Cyrus performs onstage during the 2009 Teen Choice Awards held at Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, Calif., on Aug. 9, 2009.Kevin Winter—Fox/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus Sheryl Crow
Miley Cyrus and Sheryl Crow on stage at Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City on Sept. 17, 2009.Kevin Mazur—WireImage/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus Much Music
Miley Cyrus performs at the 21st Annual MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto on June 20, 2010.George Pimentel—WireImage/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus at the 2009 VH1 Divas in New York City on Sept. 17, 2009.Jeff Kravitz—FilmMagic/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus Justin Bieber
Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber perform at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Aug. 31, 2010.Kevin Mazur—WireImage/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus Dancing with the Star
Miley Cyrus performs on an episode of ABC's Dancing with the Stars on May 2010.Adam Larkey—ABC/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus Liam Hemsworth
Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth in the 2010 film The Last Song.Touchstone Pictures
Miley Cyrus Tish Cyrus
Miley and Tish Cyrus at The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 13, 2011.Lester Cohen—WireImage/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus at the 2012 People's Choice Awards in Los Angeles on Jan. 11, 2012.Frazer Harrison—Getty Images
Miley Cyrus Liam Hemsworth
Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus at the 2012 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Los Angeles on Feb. 26, 2012.Christopher Polk—VF/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas on May 20, 2012.Denise Truscello—WireImage/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles on Sept. 6, 2012.Christopher Polk—Getty Images
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus performs during 2012 VH1 Divas in Los Angeles on Dec. 16, 2012.Kevin Winter—Getty Images
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus poses with fans in London on July 18, 2013.Ben Pruchnie—FilmMagic/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus at the Fashion Group International's 30th annual "Night Of Stars" awards gala in New York City on Oct. 22, 2013. Evan Agostini—Invision/AP
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus performs on NBC's Today show on Oct. 7, 2013 in New York City.NBC/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus dances at Compound Entertainment and Malibu Red Grammy Midnight Brunch at Bagatelle/STK in Los Angeles on Feb. 9, 2013.Johnny Nunez—WireImage/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus attends the "PUNK: Chaos to Couture" Costume Institute Benefit Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on May 6, 2013.Stephen Lovekin—FilmMagic/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus arrives at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas on May 19, 2013.Jon Kopaloff—FilmMagic/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus attends Rachel Zoe during Fall 2013 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Lincoln Center in New York City on Feb. 13, 2013.Jamie McCarthy—WireImage/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus at the SiriusXM Studios in New York City on June 27, 2013.Slaven Vlasic—Getty Images
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards in New York City on Aug. 25, 2013.Jeff Kravitz—FilmMagic/Getty Images
Robin Thicke Miley Cyrus
Robin Thicke and Miley Cyrus perform during the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards at Barclays Center in New York City on Aug. 25, 2013.Rick Diamond—Getty Images
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus performs at the 2013 American Music Awards in Los Angeles on Nov. 24, 2013.Christopher Polk—Getty Images
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus performs at the Time Square's New Year's Eve 2014 ball drop celebration in New York City on Dec. 31, 2013.Steve Mack—FilmMagic/Getty Image
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus at the 56th annual Grammy Awards Pre-Grammy Gala in Los Angeles on Jan. 25, 2014.Jeffrey Mayer—WireImage/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus: MTV Unplugged - Fixed Show
Miley Cyrus performs during Miley Cyrus: MTV Unplugged in Los Angeles on Jan. 28, 2014.Christopher Polk—Getty Images
Miley Cyrus Bangerz Concert
Miley Cyrus performs at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y., on Aug. 1, 2014.Taylor Hill—FilmMagic/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus Wayne Coyne
Miley Cyrus and Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips perform in Los Angeles on Feb. 22, 2014.Jeff Kravitz—FilmMagic/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus MTV VMA
Miley Cyrus at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards in Inglewood, Calif., on Aug. 24, 2014. Mario Anzuoni—Reuters
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus and My Friend's Place representative Jesse Helt at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards in Inglewood, Calif., on Aug. 24, 2014.Christopher Polk—Getty Images
Miley Cyrus Jeremy Scott
Miley Cyrus walks with Jeremy Scott after a presentation of his Spring/Summer 2015 collection during New York Fashion Week on Sept. 10, 2014. Lucas Jackson—Reuters
Miley Cyrus Met Gala
Miley Cyrus attends the "China: Through The Looking Glass" Costume Institute Benefit Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on May 4, 2015 .Dimitrios Kambouris—Getty Images
Miley Cyrus - VMA
Miley Cyrus performs onstage during the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles.Michael Tran—FilmMagic/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus hosts the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles.
Miley Cyrus hosts the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles.Michael Tran—Getty Images
Miley Cyrus performs on Saturday Night Live in New York City on Oct. 3, 2015.
Miley Cyrus performs on Saturday Night Live in New York City on Oct. 3, 2015.Dana Edelson—Getty Images
Honoree Miley Cyrus accepts the Vanguard Award at the Los Angeles LGBT Center 46th Anniversary Gala Vanguard Awards on Nov. 7, 2015 in Century City, Calif.
Honoree Miley Cyrus accepts the Vanguard Award at the Los Angeles LGBT Center 46th Anniversary Gala Vanguard Awards on Nov. 7, 2015 in Century City, Calif.Joe Scarnici—Getty Images
Miley Cyrus on The Voice on Feb. 4, 2016.
Miley Cyrus on The Voice on Feb. 4, 2016. Trae Patton—Getty Images

When Cyrus returns to earth, she proves to be a captivating performer. Dead Petz is Cyrus as we’ve never heard her before: her husky voice croaks, squeals and makes the kind of noises even the most adventurous pop singers try and avoid, but it’s that color and character that make her adept at channeling whatever pain she’s feeling into her music. This won’t come as a surprise to listeners who’ve kept close tabs on her evolution from Hannah Montana to headline fixture. Her 2013 guest appearance on Snoop Lion’s “Ashtrays and Heartbreaks,” the first real taste of her hip-hop makeover that year, was a surprisingly poignant gut-punch about staving off darkness and creeping isolation. Some of Dead Petz, evident from the project’s name, was inspired by the death of her dog Floyd, and if the album’s songs about loss and depression don’t make you feel something, you might be patient zero in a real-life Fear the Walking Dead situation. (The way Cyrus shuts down a partner’s lovey-dovey PDA on “BB Talk” suggests she hasn’t lost her sense of humor, either.)

Because Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz is one of the most prominent surprise releases to drop since Beyoncé first turned her name into a verb in 2013, it’s hard not to think of its predecessor. If Beyoncé’s self-titled “visual album,” arriving with 17 exquisite music videos, represented the full, unbridled execution of Beyoncé’s singular vision, Cyrus’ record is the promising formation of one. Here is one of the boldest young pop stars identifying what she stands for, questioning everything from drugs and sexual politics to the business of the music industry and the limits of her sound. The VMAs performance in which Cyrus announced her surprise album was as garish as one might expect from artist whose adult-career philosophy could be summed up with the words, “Look at me!” But with her Dead Petz project, Cyrus does the musical equivalent of pivoting away from the cameras’ gaze in search of something more fulfilling. The songs may not satisfy listeners the same way, but the process behind them is fascinating to watch. Even when Cyrus isn’t demanding our attention, she manages to hold it anyway.

See Celebrities on the Red Carpet at MTV's 2015 VMAs

2015 MTV Video Music Awards Miley Cyrus
Host Miley Cyrus arrives at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles. Jason Merritt—;Getty Images
2015 MTV Video Music Awards Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato arrives at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles.Jason MerrittGetty Images
2015 MTV Video Music Awards Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj arrives at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles.Steve Granitz—WireImage/Getty Images
2015 MTV Video Music Awards Taylor Swift Bad Blood
From left: Models Gigi Hadid, Martha Hunt, actress Hailee Steinfeld, model Cara Delevingne, Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, model Serayah, Mariska Hargitay, models Lily Aldridge and Karlie Kloss attend the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles.Jason Merritt—Getty Images
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2015 MTV Video Music Awards - Arrivals
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2015 MTV Video Music Awards - Red Carpet
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2015 MTV Video Music Awards - Arrivals
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2015 MTV Video Music Awards - Arrivals
Britney Spears arrives at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles.Frazer Harrison—Getty Images
2015 MTV Video Music Awards - Arrivals
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Nick Jonas arrives at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles.Frazer Harrison—Getty Images
2015 MTV Video Music Awards - Arrivals
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2015 MTV Video Music Awards Red Carpet Vanessa Hudgens
Vanessa Hudgens arrives at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles.Steve Granitz—WireImage/Getty Images
2015 MTV Video Music Awards - Arrivals
Austin Butler attends the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles.Frazer Harrison—Getty Images
2015 MTV Video Music Awards - Arrivals
From left: Chrissy Teigen and John Legend arrives at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles.Frazer Harrison—Getty Images
2015 MTV Video Music Awards Red Carpet Pharrell
From left: Model Helen Lasichanh and Pharrell Williams arrive at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles.Frazer Harrison—Getty Images
2015 MTV Video Music Awards - Arrivals
Kourtney Kardashian arrives at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles.Steve Granitz—WireImage/Getty Images
2015 MTV Video Music Awards - Arrivals
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2015 MTV Video Music Awards Red Carpet Bella Thorne
Bella Thorne arrives at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles.Jeff Kravitz—FilmMagic/Getty Images
2015 MTV Video Music Awards Red Carpet Holland Roden
Holland Roden arrives at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles.Frazer Harrison—Getty Images
2015 MTV Video Music Awards - Arrivals
Rebel Wilson arrives at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles.Frazer Harrison—Getty Images
2015 MTV Video Music AwardsEmily Ratajkowski
Emily Ratajkowski arrives at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles.Frazer Harrison—Getty Images
2015 MTV Video Music Awards Red Carpet Kelly Osbourne
Kelly Osbourne arrives at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles.Jordan Strauss—Invision/AP
2015 MTV Video Music Awards Red Carpet Melissa Rivers
Melissa Rivers arrives at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles.Steve Granitz—WireImage/Getty Images
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Brooklyn Beckham arrives at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles.Frazer Harrison—Getty Images
2015 MTV Video Music Awards Red Carpet Brandi Cyrus
Actress Brandi Cyrus, sister of host Miley Cyrus, attends the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles.Steve Granitz—WireImage/Getty Images
2015 MTV Video Music Awards - Red Carpet
Singer Tori Kelly arrives at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles.John Shearer—Getty Images
2015 MTV Video Music Awards Maria Menounos
Maria Menounos arrives at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles.Steve Granitz—WireImage/Getty Images
2015 MTV Video Music Awards Jeremy Scott
Designer Jeremy Scott arrives at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles.Steve Granitz—WireImage/Getty Images
2015 MTV Video Music Awards Miguel
Miguel attends the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on August 30, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Frazer Harrison—Getty Images
2015 MTV Video Music Awards - Red Carpet
From left: Blac Chyna and Amber Rose arrive at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles.Larry Busacca—Getty Images
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2015 MTV Video Music Awards - Arrivals
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Kat Graham attends the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles.John Shearer—Getty Images
LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 30: Musician Vance Joy attends the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on August 30, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images)
Vance Joy attends the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles.John Shearer—Getty Images

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