Miley Cyrus, an American artist known for her pop, rock, country pop, and hip hop songs, released her latest album, Bass Persuades, on September 18, 2026. Since her debut in 2007, she has brought many influential and memorable pieces of music to her listeners. From “Party in the U.S.A.” to “Wrecking Ball,” Miley Cyrus’s songs hold influence around the world. Her new album has become a No. 1 album once again, a feat which she hasn’t been able to accomplish since 2013. However, along with releasing the new album, she also made an interesting decision that caused some discussion on the internet. Miley Cyrus is now professionally going by “Miley,” a decision which sparked discussions about identity and family, especially concerning her relationship with her father, Billy Ray Cyrus.
Her decision to drop her last name has led many critics to suspect tension in the Cyrus family. However, Miley has not explicitly linked her name change with her father. In fact, Billy Ray Cyrus openly supported his daughter’s decision to drop the surname, sharing on Instagram that he “felt good” about his daughter’s name change. The album, nevertheless, still includes themes about family and identity. In the song “Innocent Ways,” for example, the younger Cyrus addressed the tension involving her sister Noah Cyrus and the Cyrus family. Thus, her dropping of her last name seems more connected with the younger Cyrus’s defining of herself rather than addressing a paternal tension with her father.
Musically, Bass Persuades mixes several styles. Some songs lean more towards the rock genre, while others lean more towards calm and romantic. Due to that variety, the album does not fit into any genre by itself. An example of a song resembling rock—and some EDM as well—would be Bass Persuades, and an example of one more calming and soothing would be “Let’s Get Married.” Critics have disagreed about whether this mixture made the album more creative or less focused.
Miley also mentioned collaboration between herself and Maxx Morando, her fiancé, in writing and producing part of the album. She explained that, under Morando’s influence, some songs changed a lot during the recording process. “Aftermath,” for example, shifted gears from a slow, sad ballad to something more rhythmic. Producer Max Martin also took part in creating the album, advising Miley to incorporate unexpected musical changes to keep the listeners engaged.
Nonetheless, personally, I did not really enjoy “Bass Persuades.” A lot of Miley’s older music is memorable because of the energy, catchiness, and the ease of singing along. Her greatest songs, such as “Party in the U.S.A.,” have the catchiness that makes people want to sing every single word. This album does not have the same kind of energy for me. It is not at all jolly, and there are no songs that immediately stick in my head. After listening to the whole album, I could not hum a single tune. I admit that the album does have some creative ideas, but I did not find it as enjoyable or memorable as some of her best works. The biggest problem I have with this album is that it feels stuck somewhere in the middle. It does not fully sound like pop, and also does not fully commit to either electronic or rock music. The mix of styles, indeed, might be intentional, but also makes the album quite confusing. Compared to her earlier albums, Bass Persuades, is one of her weakest releases.