by Michael McCarthy
Miley’s new video for “Different Religion” takes religious language and imagery and deliberately turns it inside out, treating sexual desire as its own kind of faith. Miley delivers some of the song’s most provocative lines in an almost spoken cadence, while the guest vocal from Model/Actriz brings a similarly talk-sung, slightly menacing energy.
“I want to be saved by a different religion,” MILEY sings. And she continues, “and he’s giving me Jesus.”
The song and video inevitably recall Madonna’s “Like a Prayer,” pairing religious iconography with erotic desire and blurring the line between spiritual and sexual devotion. “Like a Prayer” famously mixed church imagery, saints, crosses and sexuality in a deliberately provocative way. With “Different Religion,” we see rosary beads hanging from a car mirror before MILEY appears looking absolutely gorgeous and singing lyrics that seem to replace conventional religious devotion with sexual desire.
I couldn’t find anything indicating that “Like a Prayer” directly inspired MILEY to write “Different Religion” or make this video, but the thematic similarities are strong enough that comparisons to Madonna seem inevitable.
Suffice to say, I can totally see some conservative Christian viewers being offended by this one. Personally, I think the provocative imagery works because it fits the song’s central metaphor rather than simply being thrown in for shock value.
“Different Religion” features Brooklyn noise-rock band Model/Actriz, whose frontman Cole Haden trades similarly talk-sung vocals with Miley. If you like Cole’s contribution here, you should check out their albums Dogsbody and Pirouette. Pirouette especially might appeal to listeners who like the stranger, more abrasive side of what Miley is doing here. They’re provocative, experimental and definitely worth checking out if you’re craving something different.
Ultimately, though, “Different Religion” is another reason I’m enjoying this era of MILEY so much. She’s become the kind of artist who can take something weird, sexy and potentially controversial and make it feel completely natural. Bass Persuades is full of moments like that, and this is one of the album’s standouts.
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