Perfume Genius (Mike Hadreas) has released his new album Glory via Matador Records. On it he re-teams with long-time producer Blake Mills and keyboardist and co-writer Alan Wyffels along with an incredible group of musicians. The album contains themes that he’s wrestled with artistically throughout his career – themes of the body and its decay, of domesticity and love, and of inescapable history and damage.
Earlier in the week he revealed final single, ‘Clean Heart,’ a hopeful, swelling track that reflects on the concept that time heals all wounds, punctuated by Mike Hadreas’ defiant & beautiful wordless chorus.
Perfume Genius – ‘Clean Heart’ (Official Music Video)
Perfume Genius has already released two singles to worldwide acclaim. ‘No Front Teeth’ features New Zealand folk singer-songwriter Aldous Harding, with a video directed by Cody Critcheloe—the visionary behind Perfume Genius’ legendary Queen video. He first announced the album with ‘It’s a Mirror,’ which earned Pitchfork’s “Best New Track” distinction.
Of the song, Pitchfork wrote: “Hadreas ushers in a muscular and direct sound that feels like a decisive pendular swing back from the diffuse ambiance of 2022’s Ugly Season. Hadreas himself has never sounded sexier or more confident as a frontman, and while this isn’t Perfume Genius’ first foray into twang, It’s a Mirror stakes its claim in a musical tradition that, though it’s always been home to outlaws, can just as often breed a festering myopia.”
About Perfume Genius: Hadreas, a Seattle native, began his music career in 2008 and released his debut album, Learning, in 2010 via long-time label home Matador. The album immediately captured critics’ attention, with Pitchfork praising its “eviscerating and naked” songs, marked by “heartbreaking sentiments and bruised characterizations delivered in a voice that ranges from an ethereal croon to a slightly cracked warble.” These descriptors became the hallmarks of Perfume Genius – Hadreas’ unique ability to convey emotional vulnerability not only lyrically, but with his impressively nuanced vocals.
In 2012, Perfume Genius released Put Your Back N 2 It, further growing his audience and critical acclaim. His 2014 album, Too Bright, marked a bold evolution in production and confidence. Co-produced by Adrian Utley of Portishead, it featured the standout single ‘Queen,’ which quickly became a queer anthem and powerful statement of identity. Hadreas later performed the track on Late Night with David Letterman.
In 2017, Perfume Genius released the GRAMMY-nominated No Shape, a breakthrough album that expanded his global fan base and brought mainstream recognition to his art. Produced by Blake Mills (Fiona Apple, Alabama Shakes), the record earned high praise, with The New Yorker noting, “The center of his music has always been a defiant delicacy—a ragged, affirmative understanding of despair. No Shape finds him unexpectedly victorious, his body exalted.” During the album’s campaign, Hadreas appeared on multiple late-night shows and graced the cover of The Fader.
In 2020, Hadreas released Set My Heart On Fire Immediately, a critical masterpiece on Matador Records that garnered worldwide acclaim. Produced by GRAMMY winner Blake Mills, the album featured contributions from Phoebe Bridgers, Jim Keltner, Pino Palladino, Matt Chamberlin, Rob Moose, and longtime collaborator Alan Wyffels. It explored and subverted concepts of masculinity and traditional roles, introducing distinctly American musical influences.Hadreas promoted the album with performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live! (“Jason”), The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (“Whole Life”), and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (“On The Floor”). He followed with Ugly Season, a project born from his collaboration with choreographer Kate Wallich on The Sun Still Burns Here, a dance piece commissioned by Seattle Theatre Group and Mass MoCA and performed across major cities in 2019. The release included a stunning 30-minute film, Pygmalion’s Ugly Season, created with renowned visual artist Jacolby Satterwhite, blending surreal visuals with Hadreas music.
Mike Hadreas is now based in Los Angeles with his partner in life and music, Alan Wyffels.
Perfume Genius
Glory
ORDER / LISTEN
Glory Album Cover
TRACKLISTING
01. It’s a Mirror
02. No Front Teeth (feat. Aldous Harding)
03. Clean Heart
04. Me & Angel
05. Left For Tomorrow
06. Full On
07. Capezio
08. Dion
09. In a Row
10. Hanging Out
11. Glory
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