“I’m on an island, dirty dancing in the sun,” sings Miley Cyrus on Endless Summer Vacation. The line perfectly captures the mood of a sensual but solitary eighth album served at an unexpectedly slow, controlled sizzle.
Released back in January, the only advance single – “Flowers” – was a poppy, post-break-up anthem. It saw the 30-year-old former child star strut confidently away from her marriage to Liam Hemsworth, proclaiming: “I can love me better than you can.” It sounded as though Cyrus might be sticking with the banging groove she established on 2020’s rock-indebted Plastic Hearts.
