Listen To: Perfume Genius “Learning”

In short, Perfume Genius is the moniker for Mike Hadreas. Following a torrential path of self-destruction leading back to his mother’s house in Washington state, Hadreas decided to diffuse the paroxysms of his life by putting his strange, unorthodox troubles into lush, harrowing melodies. With a lifetime of sadness and piano skills in tow, the twenty-something set out to create his debut album Learning, out now via Matador.

Perfume Genius has certain vocal qualities that seem a vaporous mix of Sufjan Steven’s “John Wayne Gacy” and Daniel Johnston’s scratchy, low budget productions. On the opening track, Hadreas begins with the cold, haunting declaration, “No one will answer your prayers / until you take off that dress.” The piano’s melodies change very little throughout the song, with only sparkly piano fills contrasting nicely against the backdrop of eerie vocal layering. The overall effect is beautifully creepy.

The best of Learning seems to come when Perfume Genius successfully matches his daunting vocals with lush, dramatic instrumentation. The tracks “Look Out, Look Out”, “Mr. Peterson” and “Never Did” deliver enjoyable mixes of heartrending darkness and sensuous piano. And the whispering on “When” is another great example of subtle horrification blended with attractive piano lure.

Sometimes, the pace of Learning gets stagnant, if not boring. Without knowledge and attention to the album’s journey into fruition, one could grow irritated by the overall tone of Perfume Genius’ sulky display of revelation. However, those who have found themselves in similar situations – those who appreciate having seen the “bottom” so they never have to go back there again – will welcome the culmination of Hadreas’ experiences.

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Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.