Glory - Perfume Genius: Review

Review by Lavender:

Perfume Genius 

is the musical project of Mike Hadreas and one of the most beloved voices in the indie and art-pop scenes of the past 20 years. Since debuting in 2010, there has basically be an uninterrupted stream of critically acclaimed Perfume Genius records every few years leading up to the newly released 7th album Glory. In my opinion, the peak of the Perfume Genius catalog came in the form of 2017's masterpiece No Shape, which saw Mike beginning to work with producer and arranger Blake Mills, whose work is still present on Glory. For that reason and the fact that I've enjoyed every record he's ever released, I went into this album fully expecting great things. 

I had no reason to think this album wouldn't be excellent based on the singles. "It's A Mirror" came first, and I think it's spectacular. I love the shift to more rustic instrumentation; you can really feel the physicality of it all, plus the refrains and vocals are as perfect as ever. "Clean Heart" dropped just before the album itself and also struck me right away. I love the thematic presentation of the passage of time as an omnipresent healer. Mike sings this message as if he needs to hear it himself, and continues to reinforce it until he believes it's true, making it just another beautiful moment. 

In between these two was "No Front Teeth," a collaboration with Aldous Harding that I didn't love at first, but I've grown to enjoy the pair's chemistry quite a bit more. The moment where all of the instrumentation on the song rushes in is one of the most mystical experiences the album has to offer. These singles are first up to bat on the record, holding down the first three spots in the tracklist, and it's a pretty strong foundation for "Glory" to leap off of. 

And leap off it does, eventually. But before then, the first half of the record had to wrap up with some far less interesting cuts. I don't particularly care for "Left For Tomorrow" or "Full On." The former does have some gorgeous vocal flourishes but it's built around such a lifeless instrumental at its core. Eventually, the instrumental rush makes it a little more interesting but never quite great. "Full On" has even less than that, delivering a broadly pretty sound but one that quickly starts to feel very hollow to listen to. 

I'm slightly more fond of "Me & Angel," the first ultra-gentle song in the tracklist. I think the lyrics are about Mike being so in love with someone that he even loves the person they found to replace him in their life. But the details are a little difficult to pin down despite the compelling notion. The record ends with its title track "Glory," a similarly gentle finale that conjures some dramatic tension like it's trying to guide the record's themes to a close without waking up a baby that's sleeping in the same room. 

While the first half of the record wraps up on an iffy sequence, the second half has several moments that absolutely dazzle. "Capezio" is the first of the bunch. It's a dark and somewhat brooding track with high-pitched singing and entrancing eroticism. In fact, it reminds me of some of my favorite underrated songs from No Shape, which is about as high of praise as I can give it. The other stroke of genius here is "In A Row" which deploys a bizarrely literal but entrancing story of Mike seemingly being stuffed in the trunk of the car as some kind of kidnapping. The arrangement has a dazzling array of synths and gorgeous backing vocals, which both work to heighten the incredible beauty of the track. 

"Dion" gets unfairly nestled between these two tracks, and while it isn't nearly as stunning, I still like what it does with its dark demeanor that's easy to get lost in. Finally, there's "Hanging Out," which is a lyrical highlight full of visceral descriptions of Mike's own physical health, something he's talked about before on record. It's an eerie song with alien synths and distant drums defining a chilling second half that I just can't get enough of. 

Glory may not be in the upper echelon of Perfume Genius records, but for someone with a discography as stunning as Mile Hadreus, it's difficult to hold that against the record. His performance style continues to be remarkably engaging, and though there are some trite moments, for the most part, Blake Mills' arrangements continue to please in both their most darkly intimate and lavishly exuberant. What results is another solid collaboration between the pair and another strong entry into an increasingly remarkable discography. 7/10

For more pop, check out my review of Lady Gaga's Mayhem