Noah Cyrus made her first television appearance in the seventh episode of Disney Channel’s “Hannah Montana” (2006). She played the “Little Shopper,” a young girl with curly brown hair, bright blue eyes and some serious pipes who screamed “Mommy!” after discovering Miley Ray Stewart (Miley Cyrus, her real-life older sister) pretending to be a mannequin.
Almost 20 years later, the little shopper is all grown up. Cyrus’ hair is darker and her voice is deeper, but she is still tugging at heartstrings like she tugged at Miley’s skinny jeans on screen. After two decades of shedding skin and finding her place in the public eye — most notably launching her music career in 2016 — the younger Cyrus sister finally comes into her own with her second album, “I Want My Loved Ones to Go with Me,” released on July 11.
“I Want My Loved Ones to Go with Me” follows in the tradition of her debut album “The Hardest Part,” which was an eclectic mix of Americana, indie pop and country, but forsakes general relatability for acute authenticity. Where “The Hardest Part” ruminated on relationships, “Loved Ones” meditates on mortality, faith and family. At just 25 years old, Cyrus is mature, confident and introspective as she confronts a lonely life and does not shy away from the good, bad or outright ugly.
“I Saw The Mountains” cracks the album open like a busted skull. Anxiety, anger and acceptance mingle in this acoustic ballad thick with layered harmonies. “I saw the mountains and they saw me / I stood in the ground with the redwood trees,” Cyrus muses. Her lyrics confront her reflection in the wilderness, find a sense of home in the natural world and seek comfort in the vastness of the universe. When Cyrus belts the chorus, “Oh, when you feel alone in the dark / Yeah, I am wherever you are / Circling around the same star / Yeah, I am wherever you are,” her voice blankets the listener like a layer of fresh snow on green grass.
Cyrus leaves Mother Nature’s loving arms to confront her bloodline on the second track, “Don’t Put It All On Me (feat. Fleet Foxes).” Here, Cyrus tiptoes around a difficult interpersonal relationship, inching toward a sorrowful resolution, yet remaining resolute that the love is not lost. Unlike most featured artist tracks, Cyrus rejects an alternating duet sequence in favor of Fleet Foxes singing every line alongside her. This chosen style amplifies the weight of the lyrics: “Some days we might fall apart / But we’re never broken / The words that were spoken / Mean nothing to me.” Both singers share the same discontent, perceive the same lapse in communication and occupy the same loneliness. In this situation, no one is right and no one is wrong. And, it is in that perverse beauty that Cyrus excels.
The singer slides deeper into country music by inviting new and old stars for two show-stopping tracks: “Way Of The World (feat. Ella Langely)” and “New Country (feat. Blake Shelton).” The former presents a bleak, though sonically inspiring, outlook on life. Opening with a soft percussive segment, Cyrus’s Nashville roots emerge most clearly on this track. “The first thing you learn is grievin’ and loss / ‘Cause you can’t return to the safe place you lost / From your mother’s womb into the chaos of a cold hospital room,” Cyrus begins. The song follows a life of bereavement that forsakes the innocence of adolescence for the piercing knowledge of adulthood. “From the very first moment it hurts / ‘Til the day that you’re laid in the dirt / Yeah, but that’s just the way that it works / The way of the world,” the pair sings. Despite its painful observations, this song is not a sour ballad. Instead, with its boot-tapping beat and the honey-like musings dripping off the two women’s tongues, it is a soft-spoken acceptance — perhaps even celebration — of everything out of our control.
“New Country,” the second single off the record, is a practice in perspective. The production is sticky, gritty and choppy, contrasting with Cyrus’ smooth crooning and Shelton’s powerful vocal support. This friction lends itself to a force that mimics the lyrics: “This is walking through a wildfire / This is learnin’ how to live and not just stay alive.”
On her 2009 track “The Climb,” Miley Cyrus reflected on personal growth and perseverance, singing, “Ain’t about how fast I get there / Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side / It’s the climb.” On “New Country,” Noah Cyrus refutes her older sister’s optimistic notion, singing with a quaint realism that perhaps it is the destination — this “new country” — that everyone must inhabit in order to grow.
On her sophomore album, Cyrus finds this “new country” but not without some missteps. “Apple Tree,” incorporates a captivating recording of her grandfather reciting a prayer, but the preceding musical verses feel ill-fitted and incomparable to the haunting hymn. The final track, “XXX,” falls flat with its uninspiring rhythm and lyrics such as “I sign every text with ‘XXX’ / Even if it’s to my ex, ex, ex.”
Nevertheless, such moments of dissonance and superficiality are few and far between on “I Want My Loved Ones to Go with Me.” Across 11 tracks, Cyrus charts a journey of maturation and self-discovery not limited to a specific audience as she confronts the often unspoken truths lurking in every corner of life. She inhabits the mind of an infant entering this terrifying world, a young adult cornered by uncertainty and an elderly woman pushed by the heavy hand of time toward the cold dirt. She sings to mountains and mortals with a searing yet sweet perspective — and she has only just begun.
Catherine Goodman (26C) is the Managing Editor of Arts & Life and Editorial Board. She is a double major in English and Art History. She plans to pursue arts and culture journalism, with a special interest in criticism and feature writing. When she isn't listening to music or writing her column, you can find her baking specialty cakes or playing with her dog, Apollo.
