Perfume Genius - Set My Heart On Fire Immediately (Review)

So, how do I feel about 2020's most critically acclaimed album?

15th May 2020

Matador

My Rating:

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9.4

/10

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REVIEW

Michael Alden Hadreas returns with his fifth album as Perfume Genius, another entry into one of the very best artists of the 2010s and proof that he can keep his career moving forward into a new decade. 

It has been three years since Hadreas last graced us with a studio album, and a lot has clearly changed in that time, the more angular indie pop and broad experimentation that characterised that last album replaced with wistful guitars, sombre ambience and often blithe melodies that fuel the quiet, sincere fire at the heart of this album. The fireplace? Michael Hadreas himself of course, as every song gives a startling view into his agape, lusting, suffering soul that he boldly lays bare for the entirety of this album, one I'm inclined to call his most personal and tragic to date. Despite the album's incredibly naked delivery and more stripped back instrumentals, it's clear that Hadreas hasn't thrown out the wild experimentation nor complex instrumentation that so propelled his past releases. 

Quite the opposite, as what Hadreas has done is funnelled his oblique creativity into a more acute kind of experimentation, where the importance of tone is never sacrificed for the sake of being unusual, but still there is plenty to marvel at in terms of certain creative choices, such as the peculiar textures of what I assume is a harpsichord on the playful "Without You". What's new though is the kind of atmosphere achieved through some very precise instrument placement, such as the addition of strings in the third act of the spare but beautiful "Leave", a track that has some of the most evident progression and structure of any song on the album. Interestingly, it's also a case of structure that keeps the album's weakest track from reaching the same peak, as the song in question "Moonbend" fails to have any clear progression or movement aside from the sideways shifting and warping of synths that offer no real substance or engagement due to the absolute lack of any structure. 

On top of what I've already praised about this album, I can't go any further without commending Michael's enchanting voice, usually acting as the focal instrument of the songs and performing with such astounding range not just of pitch but of performance, his delivery morphing with the song and his pronunciation and holding of certain notes, particularly on a song like "Some Dream", providing an album highlight that puts Hadreas at the centre, even on a track as instrumentally complex and interesting as it is. 

I've had a long journey with this album, first being enticed by the hauntingly catchy lead single "On The Floor" and then failing to connect with the record as a whole for my first four listens, but I kept persevering, coming back to hear the little things I did like and continually finding more and more avenues of sound to fall in love with, until the record as a whole finally clicked with me. It has reached the point where this is easily my most listened to album of the year, as well as one of my absolute favourites. This is art pop of the very best kind, with a wide range of influence from parallel genres such as chamber pop and dream pop that help to bring it to a level of quality many of his peers will only hit with a singular song, rather than an album so full of perfectly described, upsettingly real and emotionally complex songwriting. This is Perfume Genius at his best, and I implore you to give it a listen.

TRACK RATINGS (/10)

1. Whole Life - 8

2. Describe - 9

3. Without You - 9

4. Jason - 8

5. Leave - 8

6. On The Floor - 10

7. Your Body Changes Everything - 8

8. Moonbend - 5

9. Just a Touch - 8

10. Nothing at All - 7

11. One More Try - 8

12. Some Dream - 9

13. Borrowed Light - 8

BREAKDOWN

Ambition: 8

Atmosphere: 10

Catchiness/Enjoyability: 9

Content/Ideas: 9

Emotion/Engaging: 10

Execution: 10

Production: 10

Structure: 9

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Lyrics: 9

Vocals/Flows: 10

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Total: 94 

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