无尽的夏日假期 (2023)

Endless Summer Vacation is the eighth studio album by American singer and songwriter Miley Cyrus. It was released on March 10, 2023, via Columbia Records. It is her first new body of work since leaving RCA Records after her seventh studio album, Plastic Hearts (2020), and signing with Columbia in early 2021. A pop and dance-pop record, Endless Summer Vacation is a shift from the synth-pop, rock, and glam rock genres that features on Plastic Hearts. Cyrus related its overall concept to her affection for Los Angeles, California, where the album was mainly recorded, and its track sequencing to the course of a day. Brandi Carlile and Sia are featured as guest vocalists.

The album was supported by three singles. The lead single, "Flowers", set several streaming and chart records and spent eight weeks atop the US Billboard Hot 100, marking Cyrus' second number-one in the country, and topped the charts in 36 other countries. The second and third singles —"River" and "Jaded"— followed in March and April, respectively. The digital edition of the album that features the fourth single, "Used to Be Young", was released in August 2023. With its release, Endless Summer Vacation became Cyrus's first album to feature multiple US top-ten singles since Bangerz (2013).

Upon its release, Endless Summer Vacation received praise from music critics, who complimented its production, commercial appeal, and Cyrus' vocal performance. Commercially, it reached number-one in ten countries and the top 10 in 17 countries. The album was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, whilst "Flowers" won Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance.

Cyrus performed eight of the twelve tracks for the Disney+ documentary concert special, Endless Summer Vacation (Backyard Sessions), which was released on the same day as the album. An updated version of the special was broadcast on ABC on August 24, 2023, and was released on Hulu the day after.

Background and recording

After ending her eight-year contract with RCA, Miley Cyrus signed with Columbia Records in March 2021. Her first releases with the label were a remix of the Kid Laroi's "Without You", and the live album, Attention: Miley Live, between April 2021 and April 2022, respectively. In an article published in October 2021, Billboard confirmed that Cyrus was working on her next album. The album was described as "her love letter to LA" that represents the physical and mental growth she experienced during production.

Cyrus wrote several songs with Michael Pollack and Gregory "Aldae" Hein. They were conceived only with piano, then evolving into their final versions. Pollack said that Cyrus decided to focus on songcraft before tackling the production. She worked with several producers including Kid Harpoon, Tyler Johnson, Greg Kurstin, and Mike Will Made It, the latter of whom contributed to Bangerz (2013), Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz (2015), and She Is Coming (2019). The album was recorded in Los Angeles.

Composition

Endless Summer Vacation is a pop and dance-pop record, incorporating rock, country and experimental songs. Cyrus explained that the album is divided into two parts: AM and PM. AM represents "the morning time, where there's a buzz and energy and there's a potential of new possibilities", while PM represents the nighttime, which "feels like there's a slinky, seediness and kind of a grime but a glamour at the same time".

Release and artwork

On December 16, 2022, posters with the caption "New Year, New Miley" were placed in major cities worldwide. Cyrus revealed the album title, cover, and release date on January 5, 2023. The cover was photographed by Brianna Capozzi and "fully executed by [Cyrus] without visual effects", and depicts a blonde Cyrus wearing a black one-piece swimsuit hanging from a helicopter ladder. It was compared to a similar photograph of Madonna for her coffee table book, Sex (1992). The album trailer was released the same day, and "reflects the visual world that [Cyrus] has built around this very personal body of work" with a monologue and visuals that reference Los Angeles sights. Limited quantities of postcards featuring the album cover were autographed by Cyrus and offered through her website later that month. On February 27, 2023, Cyrus revealed the album's tracklist.

Endless Summer Vacation was released on both digital and physical formats through Columbia on March 10. Red and clear vinyl copies of the album were made exclusive to Cyrus' website, and white vinyl copies were made exclusive to retailers, including Target in the United States, HMV in the United Kingdom, and JB Hi-Fi in Australia.