Perfume Genius

Because I was so late with my review for Perfume Genius' 2nd album Put Your Back N 2 It; I've decided I'm going to be super early with my review for Too Bright.

BUT this didn't come easy. In order to get an early copy, I had to promise Matador Records certain things that a married 34 year old man with 2 kids shouldn't be promising.

I had to though....this is Perfume Genius, bro. I've literally been fawning over Mike Hadreas' (Hadreas is Perfume Genius) music for almost 2 years, bro. He's up on that pedestal Father John Misty and blow jobs because I can't go longer than 2 or 3 weeks without listening to Put Your Back N 2 It. I just need Perfume Genius in those moments I feel overwhelmed or am sad or am anxious. It distributes the feelz in Costco-esque bulk and variety.

So was Too Bright worth selling my soul and flooding the market with special favors that has ultimately decreased my sensh value?

Yes, it was.

If you aren't familiar with Perfume Genius, know that he may not be one of those artists that immediately strikes you over the head. Perfume Genius may need to creep up on you when your mood is susceptible to taking in a cold and dark dose of painful beauty. When you want to feel his pain or disgust or anger or joy like it's your very own.

And when that moment happens (it will if you let it) you'll obsess upon finding a back story to the sound by carefully listening to the lyrics, and then analyzing the lyrics, and then seeing if your interpretations of the lyrics match Hadreas' actual inspiration by searching random interviews online where he talks about said lyrics.

You'll slowly end up respecting his voice in the musical and non-musical sense. You'll learn that he's lived a challenging life as a gay man who grew up with Chron's disease and was cared for by a single mother. But his music never seems to request sympathy....it comes from a place of empowerment....a place where he'd tell you to Fuck off for attempting to give him sympathy. Behind the fragile and delicate vocals lives a strong man who can rock a pair of pumps and who's sharp fucking tongue would not want to be challenged in a game of wits.

Mike Hadreas fucking intimidates me, bro.

And to date, I have not felt this intimidation as strong as I do after listening to Too Bright. On previous albums the intimidation was felt more 'between the lines' of those stark piano ballads and now it's in your face.

Just a couple of weeks ago I watched his newly released video for 'Queen' and when the chorus hit I audibly said 'Holy Fuck'. The sound was bigger and stronger than I expected. The lyrics seemed to be an observation of how the presence of gay people can make others around them uncomfortable. Of course Hadreas doesn't give a Fuck about making you comfortable as he sings 'No Family is safe....as I sashe'. And the instrumentation is so sarcastically dark that it is beautiful and almost humorous at the same time.

A couple of other bigger sounding avant garde tracks make their way on to the album that are pretty dope, but ultimately it comes down to the piano ballads for me. In particular: "No Good", "Too Bright" and "All Along" fucking crush me just like how I love Perfume Genius to crush my shit up, stuff into a tin can with my tears and then shake it up in one of those fucking paint shakers to produce a special color of somber indigo that I use to finger paint broken hearts on the inner walls of my soul, bro.

I don't know how much more I can urge you to dive into Perfume Genius. Be patient with this mother fucker until he has full control of your emotionz. Too Bright comes out next Tuesday (9/23).