Perfume Genius - Glory

There’s no doubting Perfume Genius’, aka Michael Hadreas, ability to portray emotion. His tentative vocal on the edge of cracking throughout the album, his falsetto on title-track ‘Glory’ speaks to a performer exorcising demons in a softly cathartic manner, turning from heartbreaking introspection to a bright future free of personal trauma and inherited guilt.

The album’s soundscape feels like a journey from self-loathing to self-acceptance. The crunchy guitar and jolting tempo changes of opener ‘It’s A Mirror’, followed by the ethereal vocal of Aldous Harding on ‘No Front Teeth’ that are spliced together with an almost arena rock drumline, bring an edge to Hadreas’ performance that adds to the album’s themes of unshackling oneself from inherited guilt. This grittier soul makes way for 70s pop ballad ‘Me & Angel’, Simon & Garfunkel-esque folk-pop novella ‘Full On’, and swirling alt-pop heartbreaker ‘In A Row’, mimicking Hadreas’ lengthy hike toward happiness.

The album feels authentic, with stripped-back production and organic instrumentation breathing life into the narratives that Hadreas weaves through individual songs and the album’s wider context. There are moments where the fairly thin, wiry sonic palette leaves you craving for slightly more depth, for a fuller, swelling sound to really hammer home Hadreas’ deeply emotional lyricism. For the most part, however, the unpretentious and understated musical choices allow space for his voice to soar, to portray the sheer depth of feeling that continues to shape his impressive career.