It took me out of the song for a second, but Cyrus was able to pull me back in with her dreamy vocals as she croons, 'Sunrise got us up early / So we put on our shade / Somehow the bed sheets are dirty / Like sticky sweet lemonade.' Larocca: I felt like I was experiencing déjà vu the second this song started playing, but it's because I then realized the opening percussion is exactly the same as Djo's 'End of Beginning,' a song we named one of the best new offerings from last September. It sounds like a Polaroid of a divorced couple on their honeymoon. She almost seems to convince herself that it's possible, swooning through lyrics like 'Never wanna leave this room / Daydream, déjà vu.'īut the song betrays its own premise, designed to evoke a vintage vignette. Of course, the allure of an 'endless summer vacation' is undeniable. In a way, every night before I go to sleep, I say goodbye to myself.' 'Everything changes me forever,' she told Zane Lowe in 2020. This is a well-worn theme in her discography (and will be revisited later down this tracklist in 'Wildcard'). 'Rose Colored Lenses' is the third track on 'Endless Summer Vacation.'Īhlgrim: 'Rose Colored Lenses' acts as a kind of thesis for the album, revealing the title to be a romantic delusion.Ĭyrus wants to remain 'lost in wonderland' and 'pretend we'll never end,' but she knows that nothing stays the same - least of all her own desires. 'Jaded' also serves as a welcome reminder that Cyrus' voice is one of the best in pop music today. Those soaring vocals on the chorus gave me goosebumps. She knows she did her very best saying goodbye, but 'it's a fuckin' shame that it ended like that.' Larocca: 'Jaded' feels like a natural progression from 'High,' one of Cyrus' best songs off 'Plastic Hearts.' As with the older track, on 'Jaded,' Cyrus is in conflict with her own emotions as she contemplates the end of a relationship. Sonically, 'Jaded' is a classic Cyrus-style power ballad, in the same vein as 'Angels Like You' or her live mashup of 'Wrecking Ball' and 'Nothing Compares 2 U.' It's the kind of chorus she loves to belt, putting her guttural high register on the pedestal it deserves. 'I'll change my number but keep your T-shirt / I don't mind it's torn up and faded' is a top-tier breakup lyric. 'Jaded' is the second track on 'Endless Summer Vacation.'Īhlgrim: Cyrus' songwriting has always thrived in the post-heartbreak haze and 'Jaded' is an excellent example of this skill. It's a catchy celebration of resilience and independence, while still snarky enough to feel like you're getting the last laugh against whichever jaded ex you're leaving in the past. Larocca: There's a reason 'Flowers' broke Spotify records and bloomed into Cyrus' longest-running No.

Sonically, it feels like a combination of the sunny-pop 'Malibu' and the disco-rock 'Midnight Sky.' It's everything we already love about Cyrus, refashioned for today's Top 40 radio. The chorus ('I can buy myself flowers,' 'Talk to myself for hours / Say things you don't understand') is a fresh take on the motto Cyrus has using for years, in songs like 'Do My Thang,' 'On My Own,' 'Cyrus Skies,' 'Younger Now,' and 'Gimme What I Want.' Most importantly, 'Flowers' is so much more than a breakup song. It's a triumphant display of hard-earned composure after spending a lifetime in the spotlight, making mistakes and weathering rebuke, and becoming an icon. The song takes pieces from every era of Cyrus' kaleidoscopic career and welds them together to create a singular smooth artwork, much like a stained-glass window. 'Flowers' was released as a single on January 13, 2023.Īhlgrim: 'Flowers' makes a lot of sense as the lead single and opening track for 'Endless Summer Vacation,' an album that celebrates the solitude and self-sufficiency of a woman in her prime. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.

Plastic hearts album review