Miley Cyrus Wants Us to 'Believe' for Pride
Miley Cyrus covers Cher, Ed Sheeran is a vampire, and oh, Ben Platt, what are you doing?
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Well, I guess: , Miley Cyrus, “Believe”: I believe (ha ha) this performance of Ms. Cyrus doing a strident cover of Cher’s “Believe” is from her forthcoming Pride special, which airs on Peacock today. If you did not cancel your Peacock subscription after consuming all of Girls5Eva, you can watch this! The vibe I’m getting from this is a clear glimpse into Miley’s future Vegas residency, as the energy levels, the quality of the performance, and the gaggle of drag queens performing a half-hearted electric slide are everything I imagine Las Vegas to be. That’s not a bad thing! Vegas seems sick. I’d be interested in watching half of this special if only to hear Miley cover “Stand by You” by the Pretenders, which I have to assume happens because that is the name of the special and also, because I saw her doing so in a trailer for the special. One day she will deliver me the covers album of my dreams, and when she does, it would be okay with me if she left this one off. No offense! —Megan Reynolds
Beautiful fangs: Ed Sheeran, “Bad Habits” – I mean, it’s not awful? But it’s also not good? As is usual with Sheeran, I enjoy the lyrics and his simplistic style of singing but there’s just a little too much going on with that beat during the chorus that is very un-Sheeran. I’m hoping this is a one-off experiment he had to do to appease the studio and not a foretelling of what his next album will be. — Shannon Melero
Officer, I’d like to report a crime: Ben Platt, “You and I” (Born This Way Reimagined) – Benjamin, please for the love of gawd. There is a reason why pop singers and stage singers are for the most part not interchangeable. Ben Platt has a range and bravado that I genuinely envy as a person who cannot sing at all, but the man cannot, CANNOT sing pop music and we need to stop asking that of him. This rendition of the song is lacking in any kind of vocal emotional force which is present in the original and it’s also a misuse of Platt’s voice. Yall really couldn’t find a better key for my guy? The music video is also a big WTF but best summed up by Zoe Haylock who described it as, “Platt gets into it like Blaine Anderson in front of the Glee club.” If you know, you know, and if you don’t know do not bother finding out just carry on with your life. – SM
Y: Low, “Days Like These” – This is how you say, “Hello again.” The first single from Low’s upcoming 13th album, Hey What, yet again finds the band known for its molasses-esque minimalism delivering something unexpected but completely logical. Bright, shouty a capella harmonizing from spouses Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk gives way to deathly spare guitar strumming, then more shout-singing with a fuzzed-out guitar that all washes out with fuzzed-out but optimistic ambiance. If their last album, 2018’s Double Negative, sliced open Low and arranged a gorgeously messy sculpture of the band’s innards, this one goes one more by serving that iteration in slices and all with a brighter bent. It is absolutely wild that this band manages to be so thrilling, now 28 years into its run. They’re acting like they’re just getting started, too. —Rich Juzwiak
Beautiful fangs: Ed Sheeran, “Bad Habits” – I mean, it’s not awful? But it’s also not good? As is usual with Sheeran, I enjoy the lyrics and his simplistic style of singing but there’s just a little too much going on with that beat during the chorus that is very un-Sheeran. I’m hoping this is a one-off experiment he had to do to appease the studio and not a foretelling of what his next album will be. — Shannon Melero
Officer, I’d like to report a crime: Ben Platt, “You and I” (Born This Way Reimagined) – Benjamin, please for the love of gawd. There is a reason why pop singers and stage singers are for the most part not interchangeable. Ben Platt has a range and bravado that I genuinely envy as a person who cannot sing at all, but the man cannot, CANNOT sing pop music and we need to stop asking that of him. This rendition of the song is lacking in any kind of vocal emotional force which is present in the original and it’s also a misuse of Platt’s voice. Yall really couldn’t find a better key for my guy? The music video is also a big WTF but best summed up by Zoe Haylock who described it as, “Platt gets into it like Blaine Anderson in front of the Glee club.” If you know, you know, and if you don’t know do not bother finding out just carry on with your life. – SM
Y: Low, “Days Like These” – This is how you say, “Hello again.” The first single from Low’s upcoming 13th album, Hey What, yet again finds the band known for its molasses-esque minimalism delivering something unexpected but completely logical. Bright, shouty a capella harmonizing from spouses Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk gives way to deathly spare guitar strumming, then more shout-singing with a fuzzed-out guitar that all washes out with fuzzed-out but optimistic ambiance. If their last album, 2018’s Double Negative, sliced open Low and arranged a gorgeously messy sculpture of the band’s innards, this one goes one more by serving that iteration in slices and all with a brighter bent. It is absolutely wild that this band manages to be so thrilling, now 28 years into its run. They’re acting like they’re just getting started, too. —Rich Juzwiak
Yeah, why not: Doja Cat and The Weeknd, “You Right” – Doja Cat just released her third studio album, Planet Her, on Friday to high praise from critics. The album includes a new track, “You Right,” featuring Doja Cat and The Weeknd doing what they do best: Singing about being kinda sad and super horny. The music video is pretty and everything but nothing special—Doja looks incredible, as usual—but the song itself has some serious earworm potential. After feeling mostly indifferent about the song on the first listen, I found myself muttering “You right right, you right right” for hours afterward. It’s no “Streets” or “Say So,” but it doesn’t have to be. It’s a cute little track perfect for summer yearning. —Ashley Reese
Yeah: Squirrel Flower, Planet (i) – I always have a lot of indie darlings on deck, and I’m so glad that I recently explored the discography of Squirrel Flower. Her new album, Planet (i) immediately transports me to a long, meandering car ride in the middle of nowhere, taking stock of what matters and what doesn’t, of love won and lost, and… okay, what I’m saying is that this album has songs that make you feel like you’re in a sad girl music video, and that’s always a vibe. My favorites so far are “I’ll Go Running,” “Big Beast,” “Flames and Flat Tires,” and—perhaps a little on the nose given my description of the album—“Roadkill.” Give it a listen, why don’t you? —AR
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