This post was updated March 12 at 8:17 p.m.

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows in Miley Cyrus’ “Endless Summer Vacation.”

Released March 10, “Endless Summer Vacation” showcases a mix of bubbly, upbeat songs with several somber ones, cumulating in a conflicting love story. With seven albums under her belt, Cyrus offers a softer, more melancholy tone in her new album as she reflects on her recent divorce from Liam Hemsworth with themes of independence, loneliness and healing. Featuring contradicting song lyrics, different genre styles and strong vocals throughout, several of the album’s tracks are catchy and memorable, while others prove more mediocre.

Beginning with “Flowers,” Cyrus sets the tone for the album with the solemn yet poppy track in which she introduces the album’s central theme: navigating the world after a divorce as a strong, independent woman. The song stands as one of the best songs on the album, with a catchy, upbeat drum and Cyrus’ recognizable raspy voice dominating the foreground. Later creating a full-circle effect, Cyrus ends the album with a more mellow, piano ballad-style demo version of “Flowers.”

[Related: Album review: Kali Uchis delivers luscious romance in ‘Red Moon in Venus’ despite repetitiveness]

The second track, “Jaded,” highlights how Cyrus presents herself as someone jaded after a faded romance. Alongside the juxtaposition of melancholy lyrics with the uplifting pop beat and catchy chorus, subtle instrumental flourishes highlight the strong baseline. The song, which once again highlights the failed relationship, explores Cyrus’ regret and confusion that shadow her past.

Providing a potent sonic contrast to “Jaded,” Cyrus follows with “Rose Colored Lenses,” which strategically repeats the refrain “stay like this forever” throughout – illustrating a perfect love story where Cyrus can “play pretend” that her relationship will “never end.” With a different perspective, the lyrics provide a fresh look at the issue at hand, while the repetitive beat forces the song to sound longer than it is, subtly underscoring her desire to have everything stay the same.

But unfortunately, the tracks’ lackluster backing is not an anomaly with “Thousand Miles” and “You,” which also opt for somber lyrics and upbeat melodies. Nevertheless, “Handstand” offers an exciting contrast with a techno intro that breaks up the monotony of the pop-based album. The lyrics also change in tone, bringing together various mismatched phrases. Beginning the track with “We met each other on the neon dinghy / Past the manta rays and palm trees glowing creatures,” Cyrus paints a vivid picture of something outside the realm of a regular pop song. Despite that, she follows with “I wish I could know that it’s forever / Take me captive and then sail away” to tie in the love story she sells from the beginning of the album.

Deepening the album’s dip into genre-bending territory, “River” and “Violet Chemistry” both employ a synth-pop beat with an inside refrain. However, they both miss the mark by offering nothing special, either in lyricism nor beat. On the other hand, “Muddy Feet,” which features pop singer Sia, unearths a new side of Cyrus who attests, “You killed all the roses, … so get the fuck out of my house with that shit.” The violent and profane lyrics contrast the album’s other notable mention of flowers, as Cyrus now states she doesn’t need flowers from someone with “muddy feet” rather than affirming that she can buy them herself. In this way, Cyrus finally distances herself from the object of her hatred.

After several techno-beat songs that never fully allow Cyrus to extend her ability behind the microphone, Cyrus finally showcases her impressive vocal range through “Wildcard.” Once again, Cyrus expresses an alternate side of her earlier self, actively taking the listener through her journey of being torn apart emotionally after her breakup. While earlier she wanted a forever love, now she instead concludes “Wildcard” by belting “forever may never come.”

[Related: Album review: Miley Cyrus reshapes herself with new rock ‘n’ roll sound in ‘Plastic Hearts‘]

For the first time on the record – which is confusing given the album’s title – “Island” reminds the listener of summer. Starting with a soft vibrato, the song relaxes the listener while Cyrus wonders if she’s stranded on an island or if it’s paradise. Despite the warring lyrics where she fights with herself about her feelings on the breakup, a casual listener likely only processes the shadowy beat and upbeat vocals. The whole song provides a hazy feel, where the listener is blinded by how soft it is all the way until the end when she sonically complements this with her voice fading away.

Bar Cyrus’ alternate rendition of “Flowers,” “Wonder Woman” acts as the concluding track of “Endless Summer Vacation,” leaving the listener on the most sentimental piece of the album. Surrounded by slow piano, the introspective lyrics and emotional vocals create an eerie, sad feel to the song, highlighting a broken yet strong woman and giving the album a new, previously unexplored depth.

Despite pulling at emotions, the song feels out of place in an album with a strong pop base titled “Endless Summer Vacation.” With a flowing, complex narrative, Cyrus delivers on the vocals and beats but lacks the upbeat music she is commonly associated with, instead providing a softer and simpler album that strays from its title.

Despite glimpses of lyrical vulnerability in her exploration of love and loss, listeners are lucky Cyrus’ album “Endless Summer Vacation” isn’t actually endless.