Glory- Perfume Genius

Track list: 1) It’s a Mirror 2) No Front Teeth 3) Clean Heart 4) Me & Angel 5) Left for Tomorrow 6) Full on 7) capezio 8) Dion 9) In a Row 10) Hanging Out  
11) Glory

Mike Hadreas’s new LP Glory under the moniker of Perfume Genius is indeed an artistic triumph. He’s a master of beautifully understated refinement. From 2010’s piano laden Learning, through the more overtly political phases of his career, (like moments on Too Bright such as the song "Queen") up to this, his seventh effort, I liken him to a seasoned craftsman chiseling away at a piece of stone. It takes an extraordinary talent to be so emotionally evocative straight out of the gate and maintain that artistic consistency throughout your entire catalog. Even if you start out carving one perfect chess piece, it takes skill and precision to do it repeatedly. That’s saying a lot because even Thom Yorke has had a miss-step or two.

Hadreas hails from Desmiones, IA, and had to drop out of his high school in the late 90’s because of constant beatings from bullies. Being the only gay student and enduring such a torment, could easily have driven him (or anyone in his shoes), to suicide. Yet, he’s channeled this pain into something unique. His music exudes its own idiosyncrasies and vulnerabilities which set him apart from other musicians in his caliber; that’s sublime sublimation in its purest form.

Glory’s opener “ It’s a Mirror” has a folksy twangy feel and one of my favorite lyrics on the record: “It’s a chorus reaching for us/Locusts wherever you go.” He’s probably referring to the COVID crisis considering that the album was written in its midst, although it could also apply to the political climate of today. The right wing of Trump, Elon Musk and co, and the spinners at the so-called “no spin zone” that is Fox News are indeed those locusts. They are coming for all that is good; such as benefits for the most vulnerable and the rights of trans and disabled people.

Much of Glory deals with personal turmoil and existential questioning. These are timely themes that really strike a chord in 2025. But, the darkness does fight toward glimmers of hope. The hopeful moments, like the light and airy vocals by Aldous Harding singing of better days and light on the wings of a dove on “No Front Teeth,” present a slight opening in Perfume Genius’s drawn curtain. So, the light left on in the hall in “Clean Heart” does poke through.

 “Me & Angel” feels, at least in my opinion, like a modern version of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon and Garfunkel. While  it’s not quite as  straightforward in conveying its message and shorter in length than the perennial classic, both have a common theme: I’m on your side no matter what. If Simon and Garfunkel are the elder statesman of literate songwriting, Mike Hadreas is a fresh, young whippersnapper in comparison.

On “Left for Tomorrow,” the sadness is incredibly beautiful. Anyone who has ever lost someone close to them will understand It’s a heavy thing to carry on your shoulders. For me, nothing in life was more difficult than losing my mother and this song strikes something deep inside—not making me despondent but giving me a chance to process my own vulnerability as well as a point of reference.

The album taken as a whole shows so much growth; not by leaps and bounds, but by continual refinement. And to keep moving forward without having to reinvent yourself with each effort takes a special kind of gift; Hence the name Perfume Genius. Not everyone can be the late great David Bowie, and that’s okay. Perfume Genius is probably his polar opposite in that he managed to cultivate a signature sound and stay within it without making the same record seven times. That’s true glory.

My take away after repeated listening is this: Mike Hadreas has processed all of the loneliness and isolation during COVID and has given something magnificent to the world. Great art, no matter the medium, is like a tabula rasa on which we can project whatever our thoughts, feelings, dreams and desires can conjure up. There’s no wrong answer in the realm of human emotion.

M.M. Carrion