Glory is the seventh album from singer/musician Michael Hadreas, more commonly known as Perfume Genius, it was released five days ago as of this review, on March 28th, 2025, so I’m not too late relatively speaking. I went into this review only vaguely knowing the name Perfume Genius, not so much the man behind the art, or really any of his songs, but I was fascinated after I did some more research. He falls under the umbrellas of indie rock, indie pop, and folk, just to name a few genres, and lyrically he incorporates the themes of sexuality, domestic violence, and homophobia, based on what I’ve read. With that being said, I went into this with fresh ears and here are my thoughts.

   We open off the album with the lead single, “It’s a Mirror.” I really like the guitar heavy production on this track as there’s a perfect mix of acoustic and electric guitars on the track. It has this bluesy folk quality to it that is present but at the same time very understated. Lyrically, Hadreas sings about self-isolation and guilt, which is relatable for almost everyone. The lyrical metaphors are strong as Hadreas likens the amount of guilt and overwhelming emotions he feels to a swarm of locusts. “No Front Teeth,” featuring Aldous Harding, is a track that goes for a much more minimalist vibe with the low-key acoustic guitars and tambourine rhythms. Then the instrumental break completely shifts the sound to electric guitars and a heavy drum beat. The lyrics almost evoke the emotions that one feels wishing they could go back to their childhood was better. As we got older, real world and life problems become real because there is no longer that barrier of youth to protect us anymore. The line, “Let it take everything that I love,” to me is the approaching adulthood destroying any past happiness from childhood. “Clean Heart,” is one of the most gorgeous sounding tracks on the record as Hadreas discusses how time can really be the best form of growth and self-discovery. “Me & Angel,” is a heartfelt piano ballad dedicated to his partner, Alan Wyffels, and while it’s well-written, it just didn’t. “Left For Tomorrow,” explores the very real feelings of grief, while “Full On,” delves into masculinity. It’s not necessarily funny, but I do appreciate that Perfume Genius mentions “quarterbacks crying,” as it’s a smart creative touch to deliver his point, which I interpret as even those that we interpret to be the most masculine, experience very real emotions, even if they don’t always show it. He said in his Genius interview, that while he can tell a lot of masculine guys are putting on an act, it’s still endearing to him and he feels better not only being attracted to that, but also being able to recognize the facade. “Capezio,” tells the story of a character named Jason who has been present throughout Perfume Genius’ discography. He represents an unattainable man that he’s trying to get a response from. The instrumentation on this track specifically feels like a cross between Tame Impala and Bon Iver at times and I really enjoyed it. “Dion,” is a very stripped back piano track that I find to be a bit tedious, as lyrically there’s not really much going on, and instrumentally, it just feels very sluggish. “In A Row,” has some of the strongest writing on the album, and production-wise it just feels very climactic and displays this sense of urgency to the listener. “Hanging Out,” has this really experimental sound to it as while it’s bare bones, the heavy synth bass and fuzzy guitars sound like something Mike Dean would incorporate into his production on a Travis Scott album. The final track, “Glory,” is yet another simple piano ballad, that serves as a strong closer mainly for its instrumental ambience, but it left me wanting more from the album as a whole.

    People are probably gonna get their torches and pitchforks because of this, but while I liked this album, I just didn’t love it. There’s a lot of strong aspects on this thing like the production from Blake Mills, and the heavy acoustic/electric guitars built in that foundation. I really enjoy Perfume Genius’ storytelling and strong songwriting. The piano ballads just serve as too much of a stopgap to what otherwise would be a much stronger album if there was a more consistent pace to this thing. Not a bad album by any means, but I was expecting a bit more.

Overall Score: 7/10

Favorite Tracks: “It’s A Mirror,” “No Front Teeth,” “Clean Heart,”  “Full On,” “Capezio,” “In A Row,”

Least Favorite Tracks: “Dion,” “Glory,” “Me & Angel,”

Listen: https://youtu.be/DtvZLuZrEQ4?si=nV1_ii3sYB3YKkXa

Genres: Indie Folk/Indie Pop/Art Pop/Indie Rock