''Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz'' is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter

Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip hop ...

. It was originally released independently on August 30, 2015, but was later released commercially on

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

and other streaming platforms under

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

on April 10, 2017. Cyrus began planning the project in 2013 before ''

Bangerz ''Bangerz'' is the fourth studio album by American singer Miley Cyrus. It was released on September 30, 2013, by RCA Records. It is her first studio album since 2010's ''Can't Be Tamed''. Opting to re-establish her musical career instead of f ...

'' was released. Work continued into 2014 and 2015, when she befriended and began collaborating with

the Flaming Lips The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, vocals), Derek Brown (keyb ...

. In addition to the

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

band, Cyrus worked with producers Mike Will Made It and

Oren Yoel Oren Yoel is an American record producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Early life Oren Yoel began by producing local hip hop artists and playing keyboards in numerous bands. He co-produced the theme for ''The Boondocks'' and music fr ...

(with whom she had collaborated on ''Bangerz''). The album features guest vocals by

Big Sean Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. Anderson began his music career in 2007 and gained popularity in 2010 with his third mixtape '' Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big''. He then s ...

(who had appeared on ''Bangerz''), Sarah Barthel of

Phantogram Phantogram may refer to: *Phantogram (band) *Phantogram (optical illusion) Phantograms, also known as Phantaglyphs, Op-Ups, free-standing anaglyphs, levitated images, and book anaglyphs, are a form of optical illusion. Phantograms use perspectiv ...

and

Ariel Pink Ariel Marcus Rosenberg ( ; born June 24, 1978), professionally known as Ariel Pink, is an American musician, singer, and songwriter whose work draws heavily from the popular music of the 1960s–1980s. His lo-fi music, lo-fi aesthetic and home ...

. Without previous promotion, Cyrus announced that ''Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz'' was available for free online streaming when she hosted the

2015 MTV Video Music Awards The 2015 MTV Video Music Awards were held on August 30, 2015. The 32nd installment of the event was held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, and hosted by Miley Cyrus. Taylor Swift led the nominations with a total of ten, followe ...

, released independently. Critics were divided in their opinions of the album; some applauded Cyrus' ambition and

experimentation An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...

, and others considered its

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

and overall finish lacking. Cyrus promoted the album with music videos for "

Dooo It! "Dooo It!" is a song by American singer Miley Cyrus from her fifth studio album ''Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz'' (2015). It was premiered on August 30, 2015, with a live performance during the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, which Cyrus hosted, and wa ...

", "

Lighter A lighter is a portable device which creates a flame, and can be used to ignite a variety of items, such as cigarettes, gas lighter, fireworks, candles or campfires. It consists of a metal or plastic container filled with a flammable liquid or c ...

" and "

BB Talk "BB Talk" is a song by American singer Miley Cyrus for her fifth studio album ''Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz'' (2015). It was premiered through SoundCloud on August 30, 2015 alongside the parent record. Its lyrics discuss Cyrus' frustration with a ...

", performances of "Karen Don't Be Sad" and "Twinkle Song" when she hosted ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

''. Additionally, she embarked on her fifth and short concert tour, the

Milky Milky Milk Tour The Milky Milky Milk Tour (initially called the Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz Tour) was the fifth concert tour by American singer Miley Cyrus, held in support of her fifth studio album, ''Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz'' (2015). The limited-run tour v ...

between November and December 2015.

Background and production

On October 4, 2013, after the release of ''

'', Cyrus announced that she was working on a follow-up album. She said, "I'm already at a different time than I was when I finished 'Bangerz'' and was so removed from daily life because of her career that "I need something to work for". In an interview to ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', Cyrus explained the personal evolution, including death and love as she'd never known, that led to this project. First came the killing in April 2014 of her beloved dog, Floyd, by

coyotes The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecologica ...

while she was touring for ''Bangerz''. Two weeks later, after bawling through some performances, Cyrus was hospitalized for more than a week in

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

with a severe allergic reaction to

antibiotics An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention o ...

. There she was visited by

Wayne Coyne Wayne Michael Coyne (born January 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is the lead singer, guitarist, keyboardist, theremin player and songwriter for the band the Flaming Lips. Early life Coyne was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United Stat ...

, long one of her musical heroes, with whom she had recently begun collaborating. Cyrus befriended Coyne and his band,

; they joined her for performances during her

Bangerz Tour The Bangerz Tour was the fourth concert tour by American singer Miley Cyrus. It was held in support of her fourth studio album, ''Bangerz'' (2013). The tour visited the Americas, Europe, and Oceania through five legs. It spanned from February 14 ...

, and Cyrus recorded cover versions of

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

' "

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1967 album '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. It was written primarily by John Lennon and credited to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partners ...

" and " A Day in the Life" for the Flaming Lips' 2014 fifteenth studio album ''

With a Little Help from My Fwends ''With a Little Help from My Fwends'' is the second main album of the "Fwends" series by American rock band the Flaming Lips. It is a track-for-track tribute to the Beatles album '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'', with guest performers ...

''. Fascinated by their live

instrumentation Instrumentation a collective term for measuring instruments that are used for indicating, measuring and recording physical quantities. The term has its origins in the art and science of scientific instrument-making. Instrumentation can refer to ...

and its contrast with ''Bangerz'' computerized elements, Cyrus began writing material with the Flaming Lips for her then-untitled fifth studio album in May 2014 and expected to finish it after the Bangerz Tour later that year. Producer Mike Will Made It, who collaborated with Cyrus on ''Bangerz'', hinted in July that they were working on a new project and said in December that they had recorded six unfinished tracks for her record. That year, Cyrus severed creative ties with producer

Dr. Luke Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald (born September 26, 1973), known professionally as Dr. Luke, Tyson Trax, and Made in China, is an American record producer and songwriter. His professional music career began in the late-night television sketch comedy ...

to pursue a "different direction musically", and punk rock singer

Kathleen Hanna Kathleen Hanna (born November 12, 1968) is an American singer, musician, artist, feminist activist, pioneer of the feminist punk riot grrrl movement, and punk zine writer. In the early-to-mid-1990s she was the lead singer of feminist punk band ...

offered to help her with a record "only yrus isdaring enough to make".

Composition

Music genres

Wayne Coyne from the Flaming Lips photographed by Kris Krug

In its early conceptual stages, Cyrus called ''Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz'' "a little

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...

, but still in that pop world". Mike Will Made It described it as "like

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

Lana Del Rey Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Her music is noted for its cinematic quality and exploration of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia, with frequent ...

backed by a

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

, except it's Miley pouring her heart out". The album is

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...

, psychedelic,

psychedelic pop Psychedelic pop (or acid pop) is pop music that contains musical characteristics associated with psychedelic music. Developing in the late 1960s, elements included " trippy" features such as fuzz guitars, tape manipulation, backwards recording, ...

, and

with elements of

alternative pop Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

art pop Art pop (also typeset art-pop or artpop) is a loosely defined style of pop music influenced by art theories as well as ideas from other art mediums, such as fashion, fine art, cinema, and avant-garde literature. The genre draws on pop art's ...

, and

space rock Space rock is a music genre characterized by loose and lengthy song structures centered on instrumental textures that typically produce a hypnotic, otherworldly sound. It may feature distorted and reverberation-laden guitars, minimal drummin ...

Songs and lyrical content

The first half of ''Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz'' has "a healthy dose of the

laming Lips La Minh Commune ( km, ឃុំឡាមីញ) is a commune in Bar Kaev District in northeast Cambodia. It contains five villages and has a population of 2,622. In the 2007 commune council elections, all five seats went to members of the Cambod ...

warm

guitars The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

and uniquely unsettling approach to

melody A melody (from Greek language, Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a Linearity#Music, linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most liter ...

"; in its second half, the band's "organic approach" is integrated with the "throbbing computer op of Mike Will Made It's production. Jason Lipshutz of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' interpreted the album's drug and sexual references as Cyrus' way of "addressing the parents put off by her twerk-happy antics during her ''Bangerz'' run: You ain't seen nothin' yet!" "

" incorporates elements of hip hop and

trap music Trap is a subgenre of hip hop music that originated in the Southern United States during the 1990s. The genre gets its name from the Atlanta slang word "trap", a house used exclusively to sell drugs. Trap music uses synthesized drums and is ch ...

as Cyrus sings, "Yeah, I smoke pot / yeah, I love peace / but I don't give a fuck / I ain't no

hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...

" in a style called reminiscent of " M.I.A.'s abrasive bravado". "Karen Don't Be Sad" is a "hazy

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

" that has been described as a "lost track from ''

Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots ''Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots'' is the tenth studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released on July 16, 2002, by Warner Bros. Records. The album saw the band pursue a more electronic direction than previous efforts, incorporat ...

''." "The Floyd Song (Sunrise)" was written after the April 2014 death of Cyrus' dog, Floyd, while she was on the Bangerz Tour. The combination of "

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

, zapping

electronics The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...

and warm

synth A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...

pads" has been said to make Cyrus' vocals sound like she is "fronting a Flaming Lips cover band". Like "Karen Don't Be Sad", the acoustic "Something About Space Dude" has been compared to material from the Flaming Lips' ''Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots'' (2002). In "Space Bootz", Cyrus expresses affection for a love interest who is "emotionally unavailable", with a more "cosmic-pop" production and "interstellar whooshes and synths" than the lyrically similar "Something About Space Dude". "Fuckin Fucked Up" is a witch house-inspired interlude before "

"; in "BB Talk" Cyrus expresses distaste for

public displays of affection Public displays of affection (PDA) are acts of physical intimacy in the view of others. What is an acceptable display of affection varies with respect to culture and context. Some organizations have rules limiting or prohibiting public display ...

from a love interest and a desire for him to "fuck erso e stopsbaby talking." The "swaying, stoney,

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

-based" "Fweaky" describes a sexual encounter after

drinking Drinking is the act of ingesting water or other liquids into the body through the mouth, proboscis, or elsewhere. Humans drink by swallowing, completed by peristalsis in the esophagus. The physiological processes of drinking vary widely among o ...

and using drugs. "Bang Me Box", a "raunchy electro R&B" song, expresses an explicit desire for

lesbian sex Lesbian sexual practices are sexual activities involving women who have sex with women, regardless of their sexual orientation. A woman who has sex with another woman may identify as a lesbian if she is sexually attracted to women, or bisexual ...

. Cyrus sings the tenth song, "Milky Milky Milk", in a "robotic" voice over a "wiggy synth" beat. It shares the lyrics "I feel like a slab of butter / that is melting in the sun / oppression melts away / now that you and me are one" with the next track, "Slab of Butter (Scorpion)", which features Sarah Barthel of

. The " '80s robo-

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

" interlude "I'm So Drunk" precedes "I Forgive Yiew", with its elements of "cartoonish funk-hop." "I Get So Scared" is a "soulful" number about moving on from a former love interest, and "Lighter" combines a

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

-esque vocal style with "percolating '80s pop" experimentation. "Tangerine" is a "spacey, acid dipped slow burner", with a verse by rapper

in the middle, followed by the chime-heavy "Tiger Dreams" with

as a background vocalist. The eighteenth track, "Evil Is But a Shadow", was compared to Portishead; when heard with "Tangerine" and "Tiger Dreams", it has "druggy" and "hypnotic" elements. In "Cyrus Skies", Cyrus sings "I’ve been alive but I’ve been a liar" in an exaggerated manner over an "opulent pop" beat that "comes off like a

horror movie Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, ap ...

Lana Del Rey." "1 Sun" has been called a "

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

Sky Ferreira Sky Tonia Ferreira (born July 8, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, model, and actress. As a teenager, Ferreira began uploading videos on Myspace of herself singing songs she had written, which led to her discovery by producers Bloodsh ...

hybrid" with an "

industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...

-electro-tinged" production and environmentally-conscious lyrics reminiscent of "Wake Up America" from Cyrus' second studio album, '' Breakout'' (2008). According to Cyrus, she " passive aggressively" included "Miley Tibetan Bowlzzz" on the album as a demonstration of

artistic control Artistic control or creative control is a term commonly used in media production, such as movies, television, and music production. A person with artistic control has the authority to decide how the final product will appear. In movies, this ...

and independence when her team expressed concern that the album might be "too long". Her father,

Billy Ray Cyrus Billy Ray Cyrus (born August 25, 1961) is an American country singer and actor. He has released 16 studio albums and 53 singles since 1992, and is known for his hit single "Achy Breaky Heart", which topped the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart and ...

, recorded her playing the Tibetan bowls; she "

anted Anted is the name of the coins issued by Antedios Antedios or Anted
homepages.rpi.edu was an ancient k ...

people to listen all the way through just once, because it’s a nice story". "Pablow the Blowfish" is a piano-based ballad addressing Cyrus' grief for her pet fish, with "silly" and "endearing" lyrics (including "watching my friends eat my friends ruined my appetite", referring to a

sushi is a Japanese cuisine, Japanese dish of prepared , usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of , such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is " ...

outing). ''Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz'' closes with "Twinkle Song", inspired by the death of her friend's cat; Cyrus' vocal begins in a "controlled country-ballad voice" which becomes "powerful yelling."

Release

At the

2014 MTV Video Music Awards The 2014 MTV Video Music Awards were held on August 24, 2014 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. It was the 31st annual MTV Video Music Awards. Beyoncé and Iggy Azalea led the nominees with eight nominations each, while Eminem followed them ...

, Cyrus said that ''Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz'' (untitled at the time) "might take me five years" to finish: "I'll just work on it until I'm done". According to the singer, the album is "about music nd isnot about twerking". In January 2015, Cyrus expressed her intention "to get this stuff out ASAP", adding that she was working on the album nearly every day. Although ''Bangerz'' cost "a couple million"

dollars Dollar is the name of more than 20 currencies. They include the Australian dollar, Brunei dollar, Canadian dollar, Hong Kong dollar, Jamaican dollar, Liberian dollar, Namibian dollar, New Taiwan dollar, New Zealand dollar, Singapore dollar, U ...

to produce, ''Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz'' cost about $50,000; she said that

, her label, did not hear the final product until she completed it. The album does not count towards her multi-album recording contract with the label, but RCA said: "Miley Cyrus continues to be a groundbreaking artist. She has a strong point of view regarding her art and expressed her desire to share this body of work with her fans directly. RCA Records is pleased to support Miley's unique musical vision". Cyrus mentioned that the possibility of a free album in an August 2015 ''

Marie Claire ''Marie Claire'' is a French international monthly magazine first published in France in 1937, followed by the United Kingdom in 1941. Since then various editions are published in many countries and languages. The feature editions focus on wo ...

'' interview, with her manager adding that the singer was "prepared to buy herself out of the label" if RCA Records did not cooperate with her plan. That month, Cyrus was reportedly working on two albums simultaneously and considered releasing her project with the Flaming Lips for free. On the red carpet for the

on August 30 (which she hosted), she said: "It's been kind of the most magical week of my life ... It feels like

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

". Cyrus closed the show with a previously unannounced performance of "Dooo It!" with Coyne, before telling the audience that ''Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz'' was available for free

online streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...

Vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...

pressings of the record were announced in October 2015, but minimal were released. In April 2017, the album was officially uploaded to

and paid music subscription services like

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

and

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

, after only being available for free on

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

for almost 2 years.

Reaction

Dan Weiss of ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' found that the most interesting aspect of ''Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz'' was RCA Records' willingness to let Cyrus release the material outside her recording contract: "Before the era of the surprise free album, record companies would refuse to release an uncommercial record, or let it choke to death without promotion". According to Weiss, the label supported Cyrus' launch strategy when it determined that none of the material "was worth fighting Big Miley LLC over". Chris DeVille of ''

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...

'' said, "After a second straight year dotted by surprise drops by everyone from

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

Death Grips Death Grips is an American experimental hip hop group formed in 2010 in Sacramento, California. The group consists of Stefan Burnett, also known as MC Ride (vocals, lyrics), Zach Hill (drums, production, lyrics), and Andy Morin (keyboards, produ ...

to Miley Cyrus and the Flaming Lips" (after

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

's self-titled fifth studio album in 2013), the practice ran the risk of becoming "standard". DeVille questioned the accuracy of the word "surprise", when the projects' existence had been extensively discussed by the media before their release. Joe Coscarelli wrote for ''

'' that, given the success and duration of her career, Cyrus earned the privilege of " ebutinga different, decidedly noncommercial version of herself" and her "performative, post-

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

, anything-goes

ethos Ethos ( or ) is a Greek word meaning "character" that is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or ideology; and the balance between caution, and passion. The Greeks also used this word to refer to ...

is more than a retail strategyit's her all-encompassing aesthetic and lifestyle". Coscarelli also stated that "whereas ''Bangerz'' saw a freshly unfettered pop renegade experimenting with her newfound power — roiling some with its hip-hop tourism and provocative visuals — the id-heavy experiments of ''Dead Petz'' reveal Miley as she exists now: aware of her position as a youth-culture spokeswoman, and openly keen on drugs, sex, animals and the environment".

John Mayer John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Born and raised in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Mayer attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but left and moved to Atlanta in 1997 with ...

called the album "a masterwork of whack genius" on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

, praising Cyrus' demonstration that "you can be one artist one year and the next discover some crazy light inside yourself and shine it everywhere".

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

commended the singer for her unorthodox collaboration with the Flaming Lips, which he called the "spur of the moment, out of leftfield stuff ... that would have happened during the '60s".

Father John Misty Joshua Michael Tillman (born May 3, 1981), better known by his stage name Father John Misty, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has also performed and released studio albums under the name J. Tillman. Maintainin ...

's J. Tillman placed the album tenth on his list of ten favorite albums of 2015.

Promotion

Before the announcement of ''Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz'', Cyrus sang "Twinkle Song" at

Art Basel Art Basel is a for-profit, privately owned and managed, international art fair staged annually in Basel, Switzerland; Miami Beach; Hong Kong and from 2022, Paris. Art Basel works in collaboration with the host city's local institutions to help ...

Miami Beach Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter of which sep ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

on December 7, 2014. She and the Flaming Lips introduced "Tiger Dreams" during the

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as

dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representati ...

and often abbreviated as s is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television Television channel, channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programme ...

upfront ''UpFront'' is a current affairs discussion, debate and analysis programme on Al Jazeera English. The show premiered on 4 September 2015 shortly after Al Jazeera moved into their new Washington D.C. hub. The show has a politics focus although othe ...

party at Terminal 5 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on May 13, 2015. After the album's release, Cyrus was the host and musical guest for the 41st-season premiere of ''

'' on October 3. She and the Flaming Lips were introduced by U.S. presidential candidate

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

for their performance of "Karen Don't Be Sad" in animal

onesies An infant bodysuit or onesie (American English) is a garment designed to be worn by babies much like a T-shirt; they are distinguished from T-shirts by an extension below the waist, with snaps that allow it to be closed over the crotch. The purp ...

; Cyrus " toodbefore the microphone wearing a blond beehive made of dreadlocks, tangled with string and sparkling things". She soloed on "Twinkle Song" for the second performance, where she " atdown at a piano covered in photos of animals ndsmall blue lights"; the performance ended with Cyrus "in tears ndher voice breaking". That night she announced her Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz Tour (later renamed the

), which visited eight North American clubs in November and December. The Flaming Lips performed "Karen Don't Be Sad" and "Tiger Dreams" during an

impromptu An impromptu (, , loosely meaning "offhand") is a free-form musical composition with the character of an ''ex tempore'' improvisation as if prompted by the spirit of the moment, usually for a solo instrument, such as piano. According to ''Allgeme ...

performance at the Observatory in Santa Ana,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

on October 12; Wayne Coyne sang the lead vocal, explaining that Cyrus was "at home". Music videos for "Dooo It!", "Lighter" and "BB Talk" were released on August 31, November 21 and December 11, respectively. After the video premiered, "Dooo It!" and "BB Talk" charted at 60th and 86th place on the ''Billboard'' Canadian Hot 100.

Critical reception

''Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz'' received mixed reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

. At

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, ''Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz'' received an

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...

score of 60 ("mixed or average reviews") based on 21 reviews. According to Kyle Anderson of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'', the project saw Cyrus "pulling 'a reverse

Liz Phair Elizabeth Clark Phair (born April 17, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Phair was raised primarily in the Chicago area. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1990, she attempted to start a musical career ...

' in that she tartedwith the glossy pop stuff and ndedup producing something as intense and naked as ''

Exile in Guyville ''Exile in Guyville'' is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Liz Phair, released on June 22, 1993, by Matador Records. It was recorded at Idful Music Corporation in Chicago between 1992 and 1993 and produced by Phair and Brad Wood ...

''"; the record represented a "distillation of an artist’s soul that is both rare and wonderful". Nick Levine of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' wrote that "1 Sun" and "I Get So Scared" were lyrically similar to Cyrus' earlier "Wake Up America" and " Adore You", which made the new album "

eel Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...

like a wonderfully unexpected progression" instead of a "contrived bid for credibility".

Rob Sheffield Robert James Sheffield (born February 2, 1966) is an American music journalist and author. He is a long time contributing editor at ''Rolling Stone'', writing about music, TV, and pop culture. Previously, he was a contributing editor at ''Blen ...

called "Something About Space Dude" an album highlight in ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', citing the line "our lips get me so wet / while I'm singing all the verses from the

Tibetan Book of the Dead The ''Bardo Thodol'' (, "Liberation Through Hearing During the Intermediate State"), commonly known in the West as ''The Tibetan Book of the Dead'', is a terma text from a larger corpus of teachings, the ''Profound Dharma of Self-Liberation ...

" from "Milky Milky Milk" as the project's best, although Cyrus attempted several "Coyne-like high notes that don't suit her lowdown voice". In a mixed review,

Annie Zaleski Annie Zaleski is an American music journalist and author. Career Zaleski is a regular writer for mainstream media outlets such as The A.V. Club and NPR Music, and a columnist at ''Salon''. She is based in Cleveland, Ohio where she has won firs ...

of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'' called the 92-minute album's unrefined production a "slog to get through", although it was "commendable for its devil-may-care bravery". According to Jason Lipshutz of ''Billboard'', the album should be enjoyed "as the work of an artist who ... will not be bound to the post-

teen pop Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards preteens and teenagers.Lamb, Bill"Teen Pop" About.com. Retrieved January 28, 2007. Teen pop incorporates different subgenres of pop music, as well as elements o ...

stardom she inherited less than two years ago"; although portions were "unlistenable", the overall project was "messy, imperfect, provocative and entertaining". In ''

DIY "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and sem ...

'', Kyle Macneill wrote that the tracks alternated between success and failure, praising Cyrus' "gigantic foam finger to industry constraints" and describing the album as "a dazzling insight into the twinkling mind of one of pop's biggest stars". Jim Faber of the ''

New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...

'' wrote that Cyrus' vocals sounded like "they were recorded through a

bong A bong (also known as a water pipe) is a filtration device generally used for smoking cannabis, tobacco, or other herbal substances. In the bong shown in the photo, the gas flows from the lower port on the left to the upper port on the right. ...

"; the album "could use a hefty dose of editing" and was "annoying to any listener". According to Dan Weiss of ''

'', "the total lack of unpredictability ... is what betrays Cyrus' true lack of imagination" and he raised the possibility of an "all-time backlash" she might experience if her return to the mainstream market "doesn't woo radio". Sasha Geffen wrote in ''

Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...

'' that the album "is a huge mess, but at least it's an honest one"; ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

''s Meaghan Garvey criticized Cyrus for releasing "the definition of a vanity project". The album was ranked 10th, 25th and 42nd, respectively, on ''Entertainment Weekly'', ''

Time Out London ''Time Out'' is a global magazine published by Time Out Group. ''Time Out'' started as a London-only publication in 1968 and has expanded its editorial recommendations to 328 cities in 58 countries worldwide. In 2012, the London edition becam ...

'' and ''NME'' lists of the best albums of 2015.

Year-end lists

Impact

The surprising release of ''Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz'' caused mixed reactions among critics and fans but Cyrus was praised for her movement in pursuit of her

artistic freedom Artistic freedom (or freedom of artistic expression) can be defined as "the freedom to imagine, create and distribute diverse cultural expressions free of governmental censorship, political interference or the pressures of non-state actors." Gener ...

. Nolan Feeney from ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' called the project "one of the most prominent surprise releases to drop since Beyoncé first turned her name into a verb in 2013" saying "it's hard not to think of its predecessor". The journalist continued saying: "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". Hours after its release, ''Entertainment Weekly'''s Eric Renner Brown and Madison Vain wrote an article finding the "11 most outrageous moments in the album's whopping 23 tracks" by their immediate reactions. On the publication's review Kyle Anderson said that "''Dead Petz'' is a remarkable accomplishment because Cyrus appears to have grasped all of her potential at once: there are

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

-ready sugar bombs, psychedelic departures, rugged

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

, and throbbing alt-pop that immediately makes the year's other best pop record (

Carly Rae Jepsen Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After studying musical theatre for most of her school life and while in university, Jepsen garnered mainstream attention after placing third on the fifth season of ...

's excellent ''

Emotion Emotions are mental states brought on by neurophysiological changes, variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavioral responses, and a degree of pleasure or displeasure. There is currently no scientific consensus on a definition. ...

'') sound alarmingly obsolete". Reviewing the album for ''NME'', Nick Levine pointed that it "is surely the weirdest album made by a massive pop star in recent memory, but more impressively, it's also an essential listen". On her review for ''Pitchfork'', Meaghan Garvey wrote: "In a way, ''Dead Petz'' is a fascinating milemarker of pop music in the post-

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

post-Internet Post-Internet is a 21st century art movement involving works that are derived from the Internet or its effects on aesthetics, culture and society. Definition Post-Internet is a loosely-defined term that was coined by artist/curator Marisa Olson ...

era: a major pop album that lands with a splash, then sinks like a brick, as ephemeral as the

Tumblr Tumblr (stylized as tumblr; pronounced "tumbler") is an American microblogging and social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and currently owned by Automattic. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content to a sho ...

culture Cyrus draws from. Maybe that’s the most visionary aspect of ''Dead Petz'': it feels like it was built to disintegrate." Writing for ''Consequence Of Sound'', Sasha Geffen said: "if the world’s still looking — and Cyrus made sure they were looking — why not give them something to look at? ''Dead Petz'' succeeds as a spectacle, even if it collapses under the weight of its own irreverence". Comparing the project with her last album,

Kitty Empire Kitty Empire is the pen name of a British writer and music critic, currently writing for ''The Observer''. Early life Empire says that she was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1970 and brought up in Canada, Italy and Egypt before arriving in Britai ...

from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' found that "self-recording a sad, sweary, stoned album in her home studio with a shaggy 54-year-old psychedelicist presents a rather more intriguing curveball."

Reappraisal

Despite being negatively received by most of the public and critics when it was released, ''Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz'' has been gaining more recognition over time. In an article for ''Billboard'', Tatiana Cirisiano pointed out that by releasing it for free online outside her multi-album contract with RCA Records, Cyrus made "a bold and potentially lethal move for any artist today, let alone a pop star in

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

". The project was recognized for "asserting that pop stars, too, should be afforded the freedom to experiment with one-offs - while they certainly ''can'' use the 'era' model if it serves their artistry best, not every release must connote the beginning of a heavily-promoted album cycle and matching persona". ''Dead Petz'' has been considered as "a predecessor of today's rule-breaking, tradition-flipping pop scene, like Lana Del Rey teasing a project called ''

Norman Fucking Rockwell! ''Norman Fucking Rockwell!'' is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey released on August 30, 2019, by Polydor and Interscope Records. The album was primarily produced by Del Rey and Jack Antonoff, with additional cont ...

'' with a single that lasts nearly 10 minutes,

Billie Eilish Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell ( ; born December 18, 2001) is an American singer-songwriter. She first gained public attention in 2015 with her debut single " Ocean Eyes", written and produced by her brother Finneas O'Connell, with whom ...

leading a generation of streetwear-clad teens with possibly the darkest pop

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...

has ever seen, and

Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...

dropping two albums

Sweetener {{Wiktionary, sweetener A sweetener is a substance added to food or drink to impart the flavor of sweetness, either because it contains a type of sugar, or because it contains a sweet-tasting sugar substitute. Many artificial sweeteners have been ...

'' and ''Thank U, Next''] in six months with the swiftness and swagger of a Soundcloud rap, SoundCloud rapper". Through the years artists like Troye Sivan and Circa Survive's Anthony Green (musician), Anthony Green have used social media to praise the project calling it "ahead of its time". On December 16, 2021, during an interview with Lukas Gage, Lucas Gage for her podcast ''Best Song Ever'',

Charli XCX Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, she began posting songs on Myspace in 2008, which led to her discovery ...

called the album "iconic" and said that Cyrus showed with it that she is a "fucking boss".

Track listing

Credits adapted from Cyrus' website. The first uploaded version on SoundCloud had "Cyrus Skies" at track 11 as well as "Miley Tibetan Bowlzzz" and "Pablow the Blowfish" switched, it was updated to the current tracklist later. ;Notes * Additional production * Vocal producer * Co-producer

Personnel

Credits adapted from Cyrus' website. * A+ – producer * Jon Baken – producer * Sarah Barthel – producer * Dennis Coyne – mixing, recording, producer * Billy Ray Cyrus – recording * Miley Cyrus – executive producer, mixing, producer, recording * Doron Dina – mixing * The Flaming Lips – mixing, producer, recording * Luis Flores – assisting * Dave Fridmann – mixing, producer * Mike Fridmann – assisting * Darryle Gayle – assisting * Paul David Hager – mixing, sound engineering * Steve "The Sauce" Hybicki – mixing * Josh Knapp – producer * Dave Kutch – mastering * Randy Lanphear – assistance * Mike Will Made It – producer, recording * Resource – producer * Ryder Ripps – producer * Sean Tallman – mixing * Oren Yoel – instrumentation, mixing, producer, programming

Release history

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz 2015 albums Albums produced by Mike Will Made It Experimental music albums by American artists Miley Cyrus albums Self-released albums Albums free for download by copyright owner The Flaming Lips Psychedelic pop albums Psychedelic rock albums by American artists Surprise albums