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CRITIC REVIEWS
100
Put Your Back N 2 It, utterly ludicrous title and all, is one of the most wonderful records in recent memory.
90
With an overall feel that suggests an ever-growing sense of confidence and belief in his compositions, it presents an intriguing picture of where he may go in future.
10y
90
With loads of beautiful sounds and intensely sad emotions, the new Perfume Genius record brings together an assembly of powerful, yet short, songs.
89
While there are utterly heartbreaking moments throughout, they are usually balanced with enough optimism and hope to make every tear a little easier to swallow.
10y
84
Mike Hadreas' work is not only satisfying on a purely musical level, it also feels of-the-moment and above all necessary
10y
80
It's not that the album lacks any sort of immediacy, it will be loved from the first listen given the right context, but instead that most of what it has to offer is its emotion.
10y
80
Still a tortured soul, but he's feeling his way towards salvation.
10y
80
These compositions, from Hadreas' distinctive, fragile vocal through to the orchestration behind the compositions themselves represents a significant progression from the bolt-from-the-blue that was Learning.
10y
80
Hadreas, now with unfettered access to a studio, makes the best of his surroundings to bolster his raw emotions with affecting arrangements that have so much gravity that you can’t help but drift into his orbit.
10y
80
Put Your Back N 2 It is essentially a conversation between a man and his piano, and letting us intrude into his deeply personal thoughts is his cunning way of seeking validation.
10y
80
Put Your Back N 2 It shows how much Hadreas learned from Learning: it's more confident but still subversive, like the work of someone who's come through troubles stronger and can comfort others.
10y
80
Put Your Back captures that universal feeling love songs tap into, only to expand the scope of what and whose experiences are accounted for.
10y
75
It’s a shame he doesn’t experiment more with a fuller sound, however, because much of Put Your Back N 2 It’s bleak mood feels calculated rather than organic.
10y
70
Put Your Back N 2 It is lush and warm, wrapping just enough instrumentation around Hadreas and his piano to add accent and/or to drive home the lyrics' suggested pros or consequences.
10y
60
Put Your Back N 2 It has the stereotypical pluses and minuses of a second album: an increased command of symphonics and mixing board tricks that dress up melodically crimped songs once again beholden to the verities of confessional rock. It assaults the listener with its not-long-for-this-worldness.
10y
murder me :)))))))))
*cue the this is fine meme*
Serene beauty within a wintery soundscape of sadness and grief, Put Your Back N 2 It quietly shines as one of the most poignantly emotional albums in Perfume Genius' discography. Made up of 12 bare and short songs, the shortest being 10 seconds under two minutes and the longest being a little over three, this album manages to exquisitely echo feeling into sound.
The instrumentals presented in Put Your Back N 2 It make the album feel like it ... read more
Along with better recording equipment, Mike Hadreas ups the ante in terms of both the beautifully sad production and his songwriting capabilities. These are some truly heartbreaking and honest stories and song topics, ranging from mental health and abuse to sexuality. I read that he had a terribly non-accepting environment that was being hostile towards him for being gay during his younger years, so singing, in his beautifully delicate voice, about the pain he felt at that time must've taken A ... read more
In case you hadn't noticed, many of my favorite albums come from a place of pain. However, few records I've heard contain the tragic horrors that Mike Hadreas sings of in his music. The stories behind these songs are nausea-inducing in their darkness as Hadreas grapples with his sexuality, depression, and a history of abuse within his family. From what I can tell, Perfume Genius acts as a shelter for him, a way to exercise unspeakable demons that have haunted him for longer than anyone should ... read more
AWOL Marine - 4/5
Normal Song - 5/5 ❤
No Tear - 3/5
17 - 4/5
Take Me Home - 4/5
Dirge - 3/5
Dark Parts - 4/5
All Waters - 4/5
Hood - 4/5
Put Your Back N2 It - 5/5 ❤
Floating Spit - 5/5 ❤
Sister Song - 4/5
Similar in a lot of ways to his debut, he continues with the sad/depressing personal songs with sprinkles of gay that he clearly knows how to write very well, the production is a lot more polished
BEST SONG: Hood
FAVORITE SONGS: Take Me Home / Dark Parts / Hood / Put Your Back N2 It
WORST SONG: No Tear
“Hood” is his best song so far, hopeful for more like that.
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Track List
| 1 | AWOL Marine 2:47 | 89 |
| 2 | Normal Song 3:13 | 91 |
| 3 | No Tear 1:49 | 86 |
| 4 | 17 2:30 | 88 |
| 5 | Take Me Home 2:40 | 89 |
| 6 | Dirge 3:16 | 84 |
| 7 | Dark Parts 3:09 | 94 |
| 8 | All Waters 2:10 | 92 |
| 9 | Hood 2:00 | 93 |
| 10 | Put Your Back N2 It 3:09 | 94 |
| 11 | Floating Spit 3:14 | 90 |
| 12 | Sister Song 2:26 | 91 |
Total Length: 32 minutes
Year End Lists
| #8 | / | The Needle Drop |
| #11 | / | Gigwise |
| #15 | / | Beats Per Minute |
| #27 | / | Clash |
| #30 | / | Treble |
| #31 | / | DIY |
| #33 | / | musicOMH |
| #42 | / | No Ripcord |
| #46 | / | Cokemachineglow |
| #60 | / | Pretty Much Amazing |
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Added on: December 5, 2011