Arriving little more than a year after the high-concept explorations of ‘Something Beautiful’, album 10 finds Miley Cyrus once again attempting to reshape her own artistic parameters. The pop icon’s first release under the mononym Miley, ‘Bass Persuades’ dials down some of the cinematic grandeur of its predecessor, instead setting its sights on the darkened buzz of the dancefloor.
At its best, it’s a sultry, suitably bass-heavy pop record. The title track opens with a moody pulse and ‘80s-indebted synths, the singer’s signature rasped vocals cutting through the low-end. After the sleek polish that dominated ‘Something Beautiful’, there’s an instinctive looseness to it that feels refreshing, but as the album continues it often resembles something more rudimentary.
‘Bass Persuades’ is at its strongest not only when it stops being afraid to get weird, but also when it feels at its most lived-in. Take, for example, Different Religion, featuring Model/Actriz, which pushes into industrial territory.
Elsewhere, Aftermath brings a welcome rush of synth-pop momentum, while the pounding electronic heartbeat of Innocent Ways comes with some of the album’s most vulnerable lyrics, reflecting on Miley’s complicated relationship with her sister.
It’s those personal touches, those moments when you can feel the 33-year-old’s own inspirations and emotions soaring through her music, that make the album’s broader strokes fall slightly flat.
The ballads Orbit and Snow help to underline her claim to being one of modern pop’s most distinctive voices, there’s little else to be gleaned from the album’s mellower moments. Elsewhere, the blissed-out Let’s Get Married fails to hit with the immediacy intended, ending up as little more than another pretty ode to romantic escapism.
There are certainly moments here that feel more like rough sketches than fully realised statements, and the closing remix of the title track adds little to the journey. Still, even when ‘Bass Persuades’ falls short of its reinvention, it remains a fascinating continuation of Miley’s most creatively restless era. Not as bold or cohesive as ‘Something Beautiful’, but flecked with flashes of brilliance, it’s a reminder of how compelling she can be when given space to experiment.
Miley Cyrus Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Fri October 16 2026 - LOS ANGELES California - Hollywood Bowl (USA)
Sun October 18 2026 - LOS ANGELES California - Hollywood Bowl (USA)
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