Perfume Genius

Put Your Back N 2 It

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.

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.

Mike Hadreas' work is not only satisfying on a purely musical level, it also feels of-the-moment and above all necessary

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Put Your Back captures that universal feeling love songs tap into, only to expand the scope of what and whose experiences are accounted for.