By Josh Schonfeld

I never would’ve believed you if three years ago you’d said I’d be here, listening to this song, but here I am jamming out to “Malibu.” As I had stated in my last post, the world has been ready for new Miley Cyrus for quite some time and boy, has she delivered. In a surprising turn of events, Miley has done an about-face and cleaned up her image into a more grounded and mature adult as opposed to the rebellious pot-smoker she was known for after her past two albums. She’s also delved into the world of adult contemporary/pop-rock for this era, which is a departure from her more hip-hop and psychedelic rock-influenced hits from Bangerz and Dead Petz.

“Malibu” shows off this new persona with its easy breezy feel and lovey-dovey lyrics to her longtime lover, Liam Hemsworth, perfect for summer lovin’. With a melody reminiscent of Colbie Caillat, “Malibu” will make you wish you were sitting on a porch by the water dreaming about the love of your life as they play frisbee with a dog on the beach in front of you. Okay, maybe that was too specific (and too much like “Sometimes” by Britney Spears), but it’s just how it makes me feel! The guitar strumming on the chorus provides the perfect hypnosis for this dream sequence while lyrics such as “is it supposed to be this hot all summer long” will get your hormones pumping.

It’s nice to see Miley happy and loving life as she opens up about her relationship with Liam while also exploring a new genre in her already varied discography. “Malibu” is on lock to be an essential track on any Songs of the Summer playlist this year as you lay by the water with your boo.