MILEY'S PETZ SOUNDS: A PRELMINARY TOKE

Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz is many things, but there’s one thing it most assuredly is not: a mainstream commercial album with songs anything like “Wrecking Ball” and “We Can’t Stop.” So put that expectation aside, if you were still harboring it, before assessing this new collection, announced on last night’s VMAs and posted for free online streaming.

Instead, the set is a very, very trippy mood piece. It is influenced mainly by weed, booze and probably several other, more potent substances, and also by Miley’s pal and collaborator Wayne Coyne of Flaming Lips, with some beats and production by Mike Will Made-It. There’s also a small but eclectic cohort of guests, including Big Sean, Ariel Pink and Sarah Barthel of Phantogram.

“When I made Bangerz, it was as true to me then as this record is now,” she told The New York Times. “I can just do what I want to do, and make the music I want to make.” And so she has. (Indeed, the Times piece explicitly notes that the set won’t count toward her RCA contract and that she paid for it herself.)

Look: Girl is an artist. Even her oddest larks are interesting, and one gets the feeling that Dead Petz is a chance for her to recharge her batteries and stretch out before the next creative chapter.

A lot of the songs are about sadness and loss—the loss that fueled them may have been of blowfish and other critters, but it’s deeply felt nonetheless—while others are about getting high and fucking. The sonic vibe is chillout minimalism with a vein of noirish weariness—and occasional forays into full-on freakout. There is also “Something About Space Dude,” which appears to be about space dude.

Still, it’s impossible to write Dead Petz off. Miley’s chops as a singer are stronger than ever, and she’s written a couple of lovely ballads as part of the generally downbeat mix. There’s a lot of real emotion here, however dampened and distorted by the Indica fog.

“Pablow the Blowfish” is weirdly heartbreaking, a teary elegy for a child’s piano bar. “I Get So Scared” pairs indie-rock guitars with classic-pop melody. “Lighter” is about as sweet as she’s ever sounded. “Twinkle Song” takes her from gentle sadness to cathartic wailing, and was born for a shoegazer movie sync. “I Forgive Yiew,” meanwhile, is an infectious little hip hop/EDM bounce that’s simultaneously profane and redemptive.

Look: Girl is an artist. Even her oddest larks are interesting, and one gets the feeling that Dead Petz is a chance for her to recharge her batteries and stretch out before the next creative chapter.

On the other hand, maybe “Space Dude” will become a generational anthem—anything’s possible these days. Pass the bong.