Listening to ‘Glory’, the seventh album from Perfume Genius, it becomes apparent why Mike Hadreas’ performance moniker is so appropriate. There is a subtlety to the music and especially his voice that lingers. Initially seeming wispy and fragile, there is more substance than originally seems apparent. It is the equivalent of a scent that strikes you almost as an afterthought minutes after the wearer has walked past instead of having your senses assaulted by someone who has bathed in Brut. Likewise, the songs eschew linear storytelling, instead opting for vignettes with characters who recur throughout his discography, all building an impressionistic mosaic.
‘Glory’ contrasts significantly with its predecessor, 2020’s more dancefloor oriented ‘Set My Heart On Fire Immediately’. It begins with the two singles released prior to the album. Musically, ‘It’s A Mirror’ is one of his most straight-forward musical compositions having a Neil Young tinge to its country rock leanings and duelling slide guitar, although Hadreas lends it vulnerability with the observation “what do I get out of being established? / I still run and hide when a man’s at the door.” The exquisite ‘No Front Teeth’ features Aldous Harding, their voices which both having a tender, edgy quality blending together ideally but also shining on their own. There is something especially moving as she sings of “better days / nothing touch me / let it take everything that I love” before the guitar accompaniment moves from delicate to abrasive accompanied by resonant drums. It fades out with an MBV like soundscape.
The production courtesy of his long-term collaborator Blake Mills stands out. Individual elements are heightened and it exudes confidence in its inner calm, requesting the listener to lean in and enjoy the space and clarity, accepting that an unhurried approach can add to the drama. ‘Clean Heart’ exemplifies how well this can work. Its pulse is like a heartbeat and inner turmoil is apparent in the line, “I drag my life like a chain.” The piano ballad ‘Me & Angel’ is gorgeous, continuing the lineage of songs Hadreas has penned in tribute to his partner in life and songwriting, Alan Wyffels. With its reference to “a halo that’ll always hold its shape”, it may be the album’s most exquisite moment, a definite keeper. Built around bass hum and electronic echo, ‘Left For Tomorrow’ also captures attention with its opening line, “the other end is just heavy breathing / I bury the phone in clover.”
‘Full On’ is sustained by another of the delightful details, the strum of what sounds like a harp, its dreamy feel at odds with the song’s imagery of seeing every quarterback crying. ‘Capezio’ is delivered in what is virtually a whispered falsetto, again with odd imagery sitting “on the other side of Jason / pooling his spit in a jar.” The production gives added depth to the bass shudder and some jazzy chords. ‘Dion’ retains that quality of requesting careful attention to Hadreas’ gentle croon together with the slow piano pattern and echoes, loops and controlled feedback.
Featuring a rhythm that mimics his experience locked inside a moving car, ‘In A Row’ sees Hadreas “going through I think a tunnel / counting every bump” before its instrumentation slowly ramps up the drama. ‘Hanging Out’ has a grinding tension to its electronic turns, echoing bass, brushed drums and percussive crashes. There is a visceral quality to its images – “dancing with Tate in the yard / holding him up by the throat …I’m four on the floor in the dirt / I’m chewing his face like a hog.”
‘Glory’ ends with its titular track, a two-minute piece that reflects the deeply emotional album. It is not glory as it would conventionally be portrayed, it is slow, lingering and has an almost balletic grace, the final lines summarising this new concept, “now in quiet glory / finding shade.” These words match the record’s theme, a muted celebration of life after the clubs have closed and the excess of youth has passed. It is a recognition that life’s potentially lengthy middle is to be enjoyed in a different way and ‘Glory’ makes a fitting companion to that journey.
Perfume Genius: Glory – Out 28 March 2025 (Matador Records)
Genius – “No Front Teeth (ft. Aldous Harding)” (Official Music Video)
I was editor of the long-running fanzine, Plane Truth, and have subsequently written for a number of publications. While the zine was known for championing the most angular independent sounds, performing in recent years with a community samba percussion band helped to broaden my tastes so that in 2021 I am far more likely to be celebrating an eclectic mix of sounds and enthusing about Made Kuti, Anthony Joseph, Little Simz and the Soul Jazz Cuban compilations as well as Pom Poko and Richard Dawson.
