There’s an ethereal beauty to an album focused on suffering. While certain efforts might not work, Mike Hadreas, under the stage name Perfume Genius, has crafted a darkly magnificent opus that allows him to paint a canvas of his internal and external suffering.
This formula of projecting suffering onto the listener isn’t new, but the way in which Hadreas chooses to express them is what makes him unique. Choosing to juxtapose tone and lyrical content with soft piano and stark electronic beats, Hadreas fashions a melancholy self-examination of his development as a gay man living in America.
Perfume Genius’ third studio album, Too Bright, opens with “I Decline,” staking out a clear position in life: when life hands you lemons, you say no thanks and keep walking. This is what separates this album from his two previous works; extroversion allows for Hadreas to both reveal himself and to show how he lives his life.
“Queen” recognizes certain deplorable stereotypes of gay men, “broken / riddled with disease,” and warning that “no family is safe when I sashay.” The brash acknowledgment of contentious issues in darkly humorous ways, along with his chamber pop grandiose, shows off the influence of David Bowie’s alter ego, Ziggy Stardust, on Hadreas’ musical development.
Through changing tonality from song to song, Hadreas keeps the listener on the edge of their seat, wondering what will come next. His use of cacophony allows for his effective practice of changing the tenor and timbre of each song. “I’m a Mother” exemplifies this, with Hadreas digitally manipulating his pitch, creating a haunting effect with the soft backing music.
Capping off the album is “All Along,” a fantastic expression of the artist as a public figure, declaring “I don’t want your love / I don’t need you to understand / I need you to listen.” These three lines succinctly sum up the themes from the album: we all have problems, and sometimes we just need someone to listen. It’s a tried and true expression, but Hadreas has found away to make it seem revolutionary.
Rating: A-
