Perfume Genius - Too Bright

Perfume Genius

Too Bright

23 September 2014

Matador

 

4.5 stars out of 5

 

 

Seattle’s Mike Hadreas performs under the name Perfume Genius. Too Bright is his third album, an eclectic collection of chamber pop tunes produced by Portishead’s Adrian Utley, and it’s by far Hadreas’s most experimental and ambitious work to date. The arrangements are sparse, often simply keyboard and voice, but the compositions have been pulled inside out and performed with an intensity that puts Hadreas somewhere between Antony Hegarty and Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart.

 

From the glam bombast of “Queen” to the sparse agony of “I’m a Mother,” Too Bright is a powerful statement. The record catapults Hadreas into “serious artist” territory, with a level of confidence and artistry that indicates it’s no fluke. Despite Utley’s involvement, the songs here derive strength from their emotional intensity, brought out through Hadreas’s hair-raising performance, rather than from any overbearing studio wizardry. If you miss this record you’ll never forgive yourself.

 

reviewed by Richard Krueger