On Too Bright, Mike Hadreas' third LP as Perfume Genius, the Seattle songwriter attempts to move past his fragile, capricious style to release his most straightforward collection of songs to date. Bringing in Portishead's Adrian Utley to produce and PJ Harvey collaborator John Parish to play drums, Hadreas veers away from his introspective gaze into something chillingly honest and sometimes confrontational on tracks like the raw "Queen" and the sparse "Fools."
Although Hadreas still utilizes piano and guitar as his main songwriting bases, he's incorporated digital chimes, Albini-esque drum beats, realized song structures and countless quirky musical-earworms into Too Bright. Perfume Genius has begun to spread his wings, delivering a breakout release that relies on much more than his manic/mopey persona.
(Matador Records)Although Hadreas still utilizes piano and guitar as his main songwriting bases, he's incorporated digital chimes, Albini-esque drum beats, realized song structures and countless quirky musical-earworms into Too Bright. Perfume Genius has begun to spread his wings, delivering a breakout release that relies on much more than his manic/mopey persona.