Perfume Genius has always meant so much to his fans, mostly because of Mike Hadreas’ tendency to bring us close to him on the piano bench while he flinchingly relays his dark tales tinged with hope. With his delicate, minimal melodies, he’s always been able to create that sense of intimacy that you feel when a dear friend pours out their heart to only you. With Hadreas’ third full-length, Too Bright, he more than toys with his formula — he adorns it with layered arrangements full of heavy synths and art pop lushness. Not only is the sound different, with Too Bright, Hadreas moves from the piano bench beside us to the stage before us, ditching his black hoodie for a gold sequined blouse.
Although Too Bright definitely finds Hadreas in a more extroverted light than ever before, the lyrics still ache as he sings them, even amidst brassy effects. Touching on themes such as rejection, loneliness, disillusionment, insecurity and degradation, the one that overrules the rest is a step beyond self-acceptance — dignity. At times, he may feel like a “Fool”, “rank,ragged”, a rotted peach, but he’s come to learn that it’s his body and his life alone. “Angel just above the grid/Open, smiling, reaching out/No thanks/I decline.” Hadreas is taking ownership of himself despite his harshest critics, chiefly himself, and that’s the source of the newfound boldness in both sound and content. You can feel it in the album’s standout track and first single, the same song that contains a murderous pop interval that had us falling all over ourselves upon its release. “Don’t you know your queen?/Ripped, heaving/Flowers bloom at my feet/Don’t you know your queen?/Cracked, peeling/Riddled with disease/Don’t you know me?”
Everyone has their breaking point, and Too Bright is the sound of Perfume Genius playing his out with sophisticated flair and empowerment. The source of his rupture? Ignorant assholes. “Sometimes I see faces of blank fear when I walk by…if these fucking people want to give me some power—if they see me as some sea witch with penis tentacles that are always prodding and poking and seeking to convert the muggles—well, here she comes.” So, although Too Bright isn’t entirely diva-driven — Hadreas’ endearing candor is still present and a few minimal tracks still manage to surface — it’s ultimately about the awakening of his inner “ancient queen”. Yep, here she comes. She’s “sashaying”, and we are loving every minute of it.
