Seattle’s Mike Hadreas knew what he was doing when he named his solo project. Like perfume his songs hang in the air, they’re there, but just barely. Sticking mostly to a simple backup, a lone piano or guitar, Hadreas’s fragile voice floats ever so delicately over top of his already delicate compositions. On 2010’s Learning this combination proved very successful, the deeply personal, heartbreaking lyrics and some seriously heartbreaking music made it one hell of an emotional heavy hitter.
This formula continues on his second LP for Matador, Put Your Back N 2 It. The album sports an Ice Cube approved title, but the booty shaking has been kept to a minimum. The rather ridiculous title is a reflection of Hadreas’s desire to make this record less personal than Learning. So, what you’re left with for the most part are a bunch of tracks that sound deeply emotional and involved, but fail to deliver any sort of punch the way a song like "Mr. Peterson" did two years ago.
Mind you, it’s not unlistenable. He keeps things on a fairly even keel, and at the very least the piano and guitar melodies he whips up are catchy enough to entice. "Dark Parts" and "Normal Song" sound like Illinois era Sufjan, when Headreas and the melody combine they create hauntingly beautiful landscape. ‘Floating Spit’ suggests a different side to Perfume Genius. By his standards a veritable wall of drums and synths carry his voice off into the distance, it’s intoxicating above all else and comes off like an updated Phil Collins ballad.
Otherwise though you’re unlikely to notice much about Put Your Back In 2 It. When Hadreas is singing about his own life and his own shortcomings it grabs you and shoves your face right up against reality, but when he’s less invested in the subject matter it comes and goes with the staying power of so many bedroom singer songwriter has beens. Disappointing to say the least, but Hadreas has good songs in him, he’ll just need to dig deeper to bring them out.
Grade: C
~Steve Dobek
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