In some ways,
Perfume Genius' intimate, unflinching balladry reached its logical conclusion on
Put Your Back N 2 It. On that deceptively gentle collection of songs, Mike Hadreas' songwriting gained more agency while opening the door to possibilities that he explores to the fullest on
Too Bright. With the help of
Portishead's
Adrian Utley and
PJ Harvey collaborator
John Parish, Hadreas marries his razor-sharp observations with omnivorous music that gives him even more range. If he was empowered on
Put Your Back N 2 It, now he's just powerful: on "Queen"'s stately, futuristic glam rock, he subverts homophobia into an alluring weapon as he sings "no family is safe when I sashay" as a proud and predatory monarch. His portraits of victimization are even more vividly drawn as well. "Fool" is a biting examination of the gay best friend as the ultimate accessory to a stylish straight woman's life, setting lyrics like "I made your dress/I'm bleeding out/On the couch you bought/That I picked out" to soulful, finger-snapping pop.
Too Bright gives the lushness of Hadreas' previous music fangs and claws, and some of the album's best moments are the most unsettling. "My Body"'s eerie, shuddering physicality invokes the spirit of
Harvey's
Rid of Me; like that album's highlights, it's equally terrifying and addictive. Things get even more feral on "Grid" and "Longpig," which evokes
the Knife with its detached synths and body horror imagery. And while Hadreas' ballads play a supporting role, they feel even more striking and unguarded as they span tender vignettes such as the title track and the heartbreaking "Don't Let Them In," where he sings "In an alternate ribbon of time/My dances were sacred/And my lisp was evidence that I spoke for both spirits" with a raw eloquence that rivals anything on
Learning or
Put Your Back N 2 It. Equally bold, vulnerable, concise, and expansive,
Too Bright dazzles. ~ Heather Phares