Perfume Genius has been one of my favorite singer/songwriter projects ever since I first heard the track "Mr. Peterson" from the Learning LP. Back then, the project was pretty much just frontman, Mike Hadreas and his piano, but since then, Mike has been slowly adding more and more layers to his music, also, instead of the pervasive sense of sorrow that permeated every inch of his first two LP's, it seemed like Mike was trying to put a more positive message out there as well. All of this was apparent on his last album, Too Bright, though the title, and some of the tracks therein seemed a bit tongue in cheek about it, it still featured songs about acceptance, rather than alienation, and songs about confidence not only as an artist, but as a human being.
The latest record from Perfume Genius takes that attitude of positivity and finally pairs it with a sonic pallet that not only helps reinforce the messages, but actually ends up making the entire album feel like the most urgent and important piece of music I've heard all year. And while there are certainly still slower, more down-tempo tracks on here, absolutely none of them come close to the sorrow of any track from an album like Put Your Back N 2 It, which may be a bummer for some fans, I know I definitely felt that way towards some moments on Too Bright, I think my feelings had more to do with the fact that those tracks were placed next to tracks that obviously wanted to make the listener feel uplifted or at least more positive. However, on this new album, the entire album feels like one big revival of the soul, like Mike is done exercising demons and just wants to live.
No better are these feeling captured than on tracks like "Slip Away", "Valley", and my personal favorite "Wreath", the latter of which points to perhaps to Perfume Genius' biggest influence on this album, Kate Bush. Not only is there a lyrical reference to her smash hit "Running Up That Hill", but the explosive production and artsy attitude couldn't be more Hounds Of Love if it tried to be. And like that album, this album just feels so refreshing and inspiring, this is easily Hadreas' most ambitious and full sounding album to date.
But the question is, at least in my opinion, is whether or not this is his "best" work. It is certainly his most accomplished, but is it as amazing as his sophomore album (which up until this point was my uncontested favorite of his)? Well, after giving it some serious time and consideration, I've come to the conclusion that the two albums simply tie for first place, not only because of their quality, but because they exist, in my mind, on two separate planes, one exists in the sorrowful, mourning side of my brain, and the other, in the uplifted and inspired part.
Regardless of how it ranks in my personal pantheon, however, I can say without question that I absolutely love this album, and think you should also give it a listen.
9.3/10
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