PERFUME GENIUS - Glory (Cobalt Blue Vinyl Indie Exclusive)

Today, Perfume Genius (Mike Hadreas) has announced his new album, Glory, coming out March 28th on long-time label home Matador Records / Remote Control. Glory was produced by Blake Mills and marks the 7th studio album in his immaculate body of work. Today, Hadreas shares the first single, 'It's a Mirror', and its companion music video directed by Cody Critchloe. The two artists first collaborated on the music video for Perfume Genius' groundbreaking 'Queen', and Critchloe has also directed videos for artists such as Robyn, Kyle Minogue, Yeah Yeah Yeah's, Yves Tumor and more.

"I wake up overwhelmed even when nothing is going on. I spend the rest of the day trying to regulate, which I prefer to do at home alone with my thoughts. But why? They are mostly bad. They also haven't really changed for decades. I wrote 'It's a Mirror' while stuck in one of these isolating loops, seeing that something different and maybe even beautiful is out there but not quite knowing how to venture out. I have a lot more practice keeping the door closed," Perfume Genius on 'It's A Mirror'.

On his new album Glory, Perfume Genius re-teams with long-time producer Blake Mills and keyboardist and co-writer Alan Wyffels along with an incredible group of musicians who have played previously with Hadreas on the road and in the studio including guitarists Meg Duffy (Hand Habits) and Greg Uhlmann, drummers Tim Carr and Jim Keltner, and bassist Pat Kelly as well as a special appearance from New Zealand singer-songwriter Aldous Harding. After approaching writing as an insular practice for much of his career, in the process of making Glory. Hadreas welcomed more collaboration from the musicians working on the project. The result is a more wiry and driving musical underbed to Hadreas' stories. 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. There is also a return of some of his characters including Jason. But Glory is written from a new vantage point - on the other side of struggle, where one is left to contend with all that has happened but also has to learn to live in a still and uncharted place. An album bio, on Glory, by Daniel Felsenthal, can be found here.

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.

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."

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. 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.

Vinyl release of Perfume Genius - Glory (Cobalt Blue Vinyl Indie Exclusive). Released through MATADOR and available on LP.