Spectreview: Perfume Genius – Set My Heart on Fire, Immediately

Perfume Genius’ remarkable fifth album finds Mike Hadreas as confident and comfortable in himself than ever before.

-FUCSHIA PINK-

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“Half of my whole life is gone
Let it drift and wash away
It was just a dream I had
It was just a dream”

Perfume Genius’ breakthrough album – the capricious, dazzling Too Bright – featured a version of Mike Hadreas that reads almost improbably young. Clad in a gold-patterned form-fitting tank top with narrowed eyes and hair slicked back like a 50’s paperboy, Hadreas, who as an artist openly discusses his struggles with body dysmorphia and Crohn’s Disease in song, seemed as poised for a breakthrough as could be. Yet even that confident stance betrays the dance of keeping up appearances, the instinct to present your best self at all times that’s plagued so many gay men.

In comparison, at 38, Hadreas appears shirtless on the cover of his latest album, and here there’s no hiding anything. He looks like a 38-year-old man, with all the creases and lumps that come with bearing an aging body. Is his face wearing resignation or acceptance, or both? Does it matter to him?

Set My Heart on Fire, Immediately feels like yet another arrival for the Seattle-based singer-songwriter, pushing more honesty and bravery out of every second than before. Part of aging is coming to terms with yourself and with your limitations, and while Perfume Genius will likely never not be about the strife of sexuality and domestic abuse and body issues, the songs here contain more answers than searching.  Much of that spirit comes from the kind of music included in this package, which feels like a natural development from the sonic experimentation of No Shape. Barely any solitary piano numbers exist, replaced instead by the glittering Granduciel-like Americana of “Without You”, the dignified country-rock of early single “Describe”, the 80’s dark synthwave of “Your Body Changes Everything,” and other more upbeat styles. Moments of spellbinding quiescence still exist, like the supernatural cinematic waltz of “Moonbend” or the darkness of closer “Borrowed Light” that shares a cousin with Radiohead’s “Motion Picture Soundtrack,” but on the whole Set My Heart on Fire, Immediately is a much more holistic collection of styles than we’ve seen from Perfume Genius, and almost all of it is resoundingly successful.

Hadreas, as always, remains an enrapturing presence. As on all of his albums, his voice here ranges from the gravelly lows of “Leave” to the quavering highs of “Jason,” as much an expression of queer flexibility as a showcase of vocal talent. But where originally his works struck a confessional mood, on this record Hadreas is more interested in approaching his topics from a sagely perspective, as if the survivor of a war. In the first couplet of the opening track, the Roy Orbison-like “Whole Life,” Hadreas addresses his mortality before signaling a new beginning, and from there he approaches a comfortability hitherto unseen from the project. “Jason,” which features a one night stand with a straight man, would likely carry a harrowing tone on earlier records but instead finds him bemused at the occurrence; “Just a Touch” finds him brilliantly illustrating the dangers of gay wartime romance, like Ken Burns and Thom Yorke merged into one; even the more “personal” tracks, like the infatuation-soaked “Nothing at All” or the funky strut of “On The Floor,” are not bloodlettings, but instead pop-leaning microcosms of issues that feel much more relatable than ever before.

Gay culture has come a long, long way since Perfume Genius debuted back in 2010. Ever since then, Hadreas has sought to wear his queerness like a badge of honor while addressing how much it could feel like a curse. Ten years later, America is queerer than ever, and the stakes have changed drastically. The form he embodies on Set My Heart on Fire, Immediately eerily matches the development that subculture has evolved over the years; where once songs espousing gay identity would be challenging or confrontational back then, now Hadreas has the freedom to act as an elder statesman for the new challenges that face his younger peers. To see someone with such specific neuroses approach their age with warmth and understanding is nothing short of remarkable, and consequently Set My Heart is as remarkable a project as Perfume Genius has ever accomplished.

Highly recommended for white tank tops.