Available now. Initially released this past June with no promotion whatsoever, Matador Records are making available a Special Edition of Perfume Genius’ ‘Learning’, one of the most critically acclaimed albums of 2010. Featuring 3 exclusive new tracks, "Dreeem", "Your Drum", and "Divine Faxes", Special Edition packaging includes a slipcase with new cover art and rave press reviews. Perfume Genius is Mike Hadreas, and his life is a catalog of remembered pain and sadness, and this album is an indelible testament to that. This extraordinary debut explores that world through homerecorded songs that bring to mind early Cat Power, Elliott Smith, Sufjan Stevens and Pink Moon-era Nick Drake. Mostly simple vocal and piano, the minor-key melodies work their way into your brain and stick there. "Mr. Peterson" is the seemingly innocuous tale of a high school teacher turned inside-out. "Gay Angels" is a gorgeous soundscape of layered organs and synths, while "Write To Your Brother" contains elliptical allusions to a mother treating a song "like a lover." Already garnering hundreds of thousands of views on youtube, his new clip for "Lookout, Lookout" has debuted in conjunction with a massive year-end banner campaign.
Available now. Initially released this past June with no promotion whatsoever, Matador Records are making available a Special Edition of Perfume Genius’ ‘Learning’, one of the most critically acclaimed albums of 2010. Featuring 3 exclusive new tracks, "Dreeem", "Your Drum", and "Divine Faxes", Special Edition packaging includes a slipcase with new cover art and rave press reviews. Vinyl is newly stickered with press highlights and includes MP3 coupon with the three new tracks. Perfume Genius is Mike Hadreas, and his life is a catalog of remembered pain and sadness, and this album is an indelible testament to that. This extraordinary debut explores that world through homerecorded songs that bring to mind early Cat Power, Elliott Smith, Sufjan Stevens and Pink Moon-era Nick Drake. Mostly simple vocal and piano, the minor-key melodies work their way into your brain and stick there. "Mr. Peterson" is the seemingly innocuous tale of a high school teacher turned inside-out. "Gay Angels" is a gorgeous soundscape of layered organs and synths, while "Write To Your Brother" contains elliptical allusions to a mother treating a song "like a lover." Already garnering hundreds of thousands of views on youtube, his new clip for "Lookout, Lookout" has debuted in conjunction with a massive year-end banner campaign.
February 21 street date. Perfume Genius is Mike Hadreas, a Seattle songwriter whose jarring 2010 debut album, Learning, was called "an album of rare, redemptive beauty, one of the most uniquely endearing and quietly forceful debut albums of recent years", and established him as one of the most singular songwriters around today. His new album, "Put Your Back N 2 It", is much more universal, addressing intimacy, power, family, secrecy, and hope not just through his impressionistic lyrics, but the music itself, which is as lush as "Learning" was stark. It’s a gorgeous soundtrack for anyone trying to keep it together in everyday life, and moving forward. Recorded by Drew Morgan and John Goodmanson, this sonically beautiful, more approachable album will connect with more people directly.
February 21 street date. Perfume Genius is Mike Hadreas, a Seattle songwriter whose jarring 2010 debut album, Learning, was called "an album of rare, redemptive beauty, one of the most uniquely endearing and quietly forceful debut albums of recent years", and established him as one of the most singular songwriters around today. His new album, "Put Your Back N 2 It", is much more universal, addressing intimacy, power, family, secrecy, and hope not just through his impressionistic lyrics, but the music itself, which is as lush as "Learning" was stark. It’s a gorgeous soundtrack for anyone trying to keep it together in everyday life, and moving forward. Recorded by Drew Morgan and John Goodmanson, this sonically beautiful, more approachable album will connect with more people directly.
September 23 street date. Matador Records presents Too Bright, the third album from Perfume Genius. Over the course of two astonishing releases, Perfume Genius, aka Seattle native Mike Hadreas, cemented his place as a singer-songwriter of rare frankness, creating songs that while achingly emotional, offered empathy and hope rather than any judgment or handwringing. Sparse, gorgeous and with Hadreas’ quavering vocals often only accompanied by piano, 2010’s Learning and 2012’s Put Yr Back N 2 It told uncommonly beautiful tales of a life lived on the dark side. Too Bright, however, is something else altogether. Less self-conscious, and less concerned with storytelling and easily-digested melodies, it is a brave, bold, unpredictably quixotic exploration of what Hadreas calls "an underlying rage that has slowly been growing since ten and has just begun to bubble up". Recorded with Adrian Utley of Portishead and featuring John Parish on several tracks, it is a stunning about-face which brings to mind audacious career-shift albums like Kate Bush’s The Dreaming or Scott Walker’s Tilt, records which walk the tightrope between pure songwriting and overt experimentation.
September 23 street date. Matador Records presents Too Bright, the third album from Perfume Genius. Over the course of two astonishing releases, Perfume Genius, aka Seattle native Mike Hadreas, cemented his place as a singer-songwriter of rare frankness, creating songs that while achingly emotional, offered empathy and hope rather than any judgment or handwringing. Sparse, gorgeous and with Hadreas’ quavering vocals often only accompanied by piano, 2010’s Learning and 2012’s Put Yr Back N 2 It told uncommonly beautiful tales of a life lived on the dark side. Too Bright, however, is something else altogether. Less self-conscious, and less concerned with storytelling and easily-digested melodies, it is a brave, bold, unpredictably quixotic exploration of what Hadreas calls "an underlying rage that has slowly been growing since ten and has just begun to bubble up". Recorded with Adrian Utley of Portishead and featuring John Parish on several tracks, it is a stunning about-face which brings to mind audacious career-shift albums like Kate Bush’s The Dreaming or Scott Walker’s Tilt, records which walk the tightrope between pure songwriting and overt experimentation.
May 5 street date. Perfume Genius, nom de poster-wraith of musician Mike Hadreas, releases his fourth album, No Shape on Matador Records. The album was recorded in Los Angeles, produced by Blake Mills, mixed by Shawn Everett. Perfume Genius’ 2014 breakout album Too Bright— featuring seismic anthem ‘Queen’ — marked a musical and performative leap that sounds unlike anything before or since. With his new songs, Hadreas goes even further, merging church music, makeout music, R&B, art pop, krautrock, and queer soul into his take on stadium anthems, completing the journey from critically acclaimed underground hero to fully fledged pop auteur. “Staggeringly fantastic new Perfume Genius album.” - NPR. “Our first taste of his new album, No Shape is Slip Away and it’s beautiful.” - The Fader. “There are several moments on No Shape that burst with so much incandescent noise, they’ll make you feel glad just to be alive.” - Pitchfork. On 2014’s Too Bright:“Profoundly beautiful.” - The New Yorker. “Awe-inspiring, magnificent.” - NPR.
May 5 street date. Perfume Genius, nom de poster-wraith of musician Mike Hadreas, releases his fourth album, No Shape on Matador Records. The album was recorded in Los Angeles, produced by Blake Mills, mixed by Shawn Everett. Perfume Genius’ 2014 breakout album Too Bright— featuring seismic anthem ‘Queen’ — marked a musical and performative leap that sounds unlike anything before or since. With his new songs, Hadreas goes even further, merging church music, makeout music, R&B, art pop, krautrock, and queer soul into his take on stadium anthems, completing the journey from critically acclaimed underground hero to fully fledged pop auteur. “Staggeringly fantastic new Perfume Genius album.” - NPR. “Our first taste of his new album, No Shape is Slip Away and it’s beautiful.” - The Fader. “There are several moments on No Shape that burst with so much incandescent noise, they’ll make you feel glad just to be alive.” - Pitchfork. On 2014’s Too Bright:“Profoundly beautiful.” - The New Yorker. “Awe-inspiring, magnificent.” - NPR.
On May 15 Perfume Genius (Mike Hadreas) will release his 5th studio album, Set My Heart On Fire Immediately, via Matador Records Perfume Genius will join Tame Impala on a North American arena tour throughout the Spring and Summer including shows in Toronto (June 2nd), Montreal (June 3rd) and Vancouver (August 5th) Set My Heart On Fire Immediately sees Hadreas re-teaming with GRAMMY-nominated producer Blake Mills and features contributions from musicians Jim Keltner, Pino Palladino and Matt Chamberlin. It was recorded in Los Angeles, where Perfume Genius settled in 2017 with longtime partner and musical collaborator Alan Wyffels. Pre-order Set My Heart On Fire Immediately
The album explores and subverts concepts of masculinity and traditional roles, and introduces decidedly American musical influences. Throughout the album Hadreas plays with themes of love, sex, memory and the body, channeling popular music mythologies while irreverently authoring its own. "I wanted to feel more open, more free and spiritually wild," says Hadreas, "and I'm in a place now where those feelings are very close-- but it can border on being unhinged. I wrote these songs as a way to be more patient, more considered -- to pull at all these chaotic threads hovering around me and weave them in to something warm, thoughtful and comforting"
On May 15 Perfume Genius (Mike Hadreas) will release his 5th studio album, Set My Heart On Fire Immediately, via Matador Records Perfume Genius will join Tame Impala on a North American arena tour throughout the Spring and Summer including shows in Toronto (June 2nd), Montreal (June 3rd) and Vancouver (August 5th) Set My Heart On Fire Immediately sees Hadreas re-teaming with GRAMMY-nominated producer Blake Mills and features contributions from musicians Jim Keltner, Pino Palladino and Matt Chamberlin. It was recorded in Los Angeles, where Perfume Genius settled in 2017 with longtime partner and musical collaborator Alan Wyffels. Pre-order Set My Heart On Fire Immediately
The album explores and subverts concepts of masculinity and traditional roles, and introduces decidedly American musical influences. Throughout the album Hadreas plays with themes of love, sex, memory and the body, channeling popular music mythologies while irreverently authoring its own. "I wanted to feel more open, more free and spiritually wild," says Hadreas, "and I'm in a place now where those feelings are very close-- but it can border on being unhinged. I wrote these songs as a way to be more patient, more considered -- to pull at all these chaotic threads hovering around me and weave them in to something warm, thoughtful and comforting"
On May 15 Perfume Genius (Mike Hadreas) will release his 5th studio album, Set My Heart On Fire Immediately, via Matador Records. Perfume Genius will join Tame Impala on a North American arena tour throughout the Spring and Summer including shows in Toronto (June 2nd), Montreal (June 3rd) and Vancouver (August 5th). Set My Heart On Fire Immediately sees Hadreas re-teaming with GRAMMY-nominated producer Blake Mills and features contributions from musicians Jim Keltner, Pino Palladino and Matt Chamberlin. It was recorded in Los Angeles, where Perfume Genius settled in 2017 with longtime partner and musical collaborator Alan Wyffels. Pre-order Set My Heart On Fire Immediately.
The album explores and subverts concepts of masculinity and traditional roles, and introduces decidedly American musical influences. Throughout the album Hadreas plays with themes of love, sex, memory and the body, channeling popular music mythologies while irreverently authoring its own. "I wanted to feel more open, more free and spiritually wild," says Hadreas, "and I'm in a place now where those feelings are very close-- but it can border on being unhinged. I wrote these songs as a way to be more patient, more considered -- to pull at all these chaotic threads hovering around me and weave them in to something warm, thoughtful and comforting."