Different Religion

Album: Bass Persuades (2026)
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Songfacts®:

  • "Different Religion" is Miley Cyrus' spiky, industrial-tinged dance-punk track that opens with a revving guitar squall before Brooklyn post-punk band Model/Actriz kicks in to sharpen the rhythm.
  • The song treats physical devotion to a partner like a spiritual faith. Following the title track, it helps lay the groundwork for Bass Persuades, an album Cyrus built around a central love story inspired by her fiancé, Maxx Morando (drummer for the indie rock band Liily).
  • Cyrus wrote the track with Kid Harpoon, Michael Pollack, and all four members of Model/Actriz: Cole Haden, Jack Wetmore, Ruben Radlauer, and Aaron Shapiro. Cyrus, Harpoon, and Model/Actriz handled production duties together.

    Haden previously co-wrote "Prelude," the opening track on Cyrus' 2025 album Something Beautiful. All four members of Model/Actriz returned to co-write "Snow" on Bass Persuades, while Shapiro co-wrote "Bass Persuades Remixx," which features the full band. They also handled instrumentation across several other cuts on the record.
  • Cyrus spent years hyping up Model/Actriz before finally getting them into the studio, telling BBC Radio 1 the collaboration was a "very exciting kind of personal moment." The track gave her room to step away from her usual dreamy, ethereal sound in favor of a raw, aggressive edge.

    She was also eager to introduce the Brooklyn outfit to a broader American audience, noting that while they tour internationally, they remain relatively underground at home. "I know that I have a platform that I can, you know, kind of shine a light on something," she told Radio 1, describing the chance to grow the artistic network around her as an honor.
  • Mert Alas directed the video, which dropped on September 30, 2026. In it, Cyrus speeds through a desert before picking up model Charlie Knepper (billed in the credits as the "hero"). Cole Haden performs his own vocal parts on camera, while other models mouth the lyrics. Alas also directed the clips for "Bass Persuades," and its follow-up single," Let's Get Married."

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