After a 2010 debut album Learning that went far too unnoticed Mike Hadreas turned a lot of heads with 2012’s pretty yet provocative Put Your Back N 2 It. That album’s placid piano arrangements and haunting lyrics were absolutely beguiling but I was curious: where could he go next?
Too Bright is Hadreas’ bold ambitious answer to my question. Still composed mostly on piano or keyboards he wastes no time taking an aggressive stance on “Queen” in which he flips off the homophobes of the world with a sashay then descends into a fluttering cloud of rapture on “No Good.” But he’s also daring to break new ground.
On the self-loathing “My Body” an ominous piece of noir pop he evokes the same chills as a David Lynch film with distorted bass rumblings and creeping whispers. Elsewhere “Grid” calls on hissing noise a dirty pulsating synth riff and banshee wails to resemble something Trent Reznor would gladly call his own.
Hadreas’ lyrics are never an easy thing to digest but the tender way he sings them along with his gifted ear for melodies makes him an anomaly. The audacious steps he’s taken to diversify on Too Bright makes Perfume Genius closer than ever to truly living up to that name.
