No Shape

Rating

Album: No Shape
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Otherside	More Info...
2)	Slip Away	More Info...
3)	Just Like Love	More Info...
4)	Go Ahead	More Info...
5)	Valley	More Info...
6)	Wreath	More Info...
7)	Every Night	More Info...
8)	Choir	More Info...
9)	Die 4 U	More Info...
10)	Sides	More Info...
11)	Braid	More Info...
12)	Run Me Through	More Info...
13)	Alan	More Info...

Performer Notes

Trauma and its transformative powers have been at the heart of Perfume Genius' music since the beginning, and in its own way, No Shape is no exception. On early albums like Learning, it felt like Mike Hadreas had to fight through the pain to get out his hushed confessions, while the fierce Too Bright brought his anger to the surface. No Shape finds Hadreas moving toward acceptance, allowing his music to bloom and grow. Musically and emotionally, it's a move that's as bold as Too Bright was, even though this album's sound is more incandescent than its predecessor's molten rage. Producer Blake Mills' Technicolor arrangements and sonic tricks help Perfume Genius make good on the subversive lavishness Too Bright promised: "Otherside" begins the album with a tender piano ballad that feels almost predictable -- until it explodes into glittering choruses that are anything but. From there, Hadreas explores different sounds that reflect the need for change after pain, whether it's the luminous "Slip Away," the psychedelic orchestral synth-pop of "Just Like Love," the daring electro of "Go Ahead," or the brilliant Kate Bush homage "Wreath." This newfound flexibility extends to No Shape's expressions of sensuality, which span the slow-burning trip-hop of "Die 4 You," the late-night sultriness of "Run Me Through," and "Sides," where '80s funk and synth-pop influences, strings, and Weyes Blood's ethereal vocals combine in a swooning, complex standout. However, the most compelling proof of Hadreas' transformed state of mind may lie within No Shape's ballads. On songs like "Every Night" and especially the spine-tingling love song to his partner, "Alan," he sings with the gentleness of someone who's healed after being fragile and broken. Though No Shape shows how much his music has expanded since the Learning days, it also proves he hasn't lost any of his ability to connect with listeners. Instead, it reveals him as a sonic adventurer and truth teller who's made some of his most compulsively listenable music. ~ Heather Phares

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "For all the power of his rapturously forlorn persona, it turns out Hadreas sounds better with company."

Spin - "[I]t feels like a complete conceptual project. Taken as a whole, it's a real thicket, imbued with the innocence and horror of fairy tale."

Entertainment Weekly - "It's his most lavish production yet, with synths that twist and turn while bass lines collide and vocals take off."

Magnet - "Despite lyrics contending with crippling anxiety, suicide and relationship strife, what ultimately emerges is a celebration of the defiant act of loving and living fully in the face of a world gone mad."

Clash (Magazine) - "Lead single `Slip Away' is a raucously good time, its glitchy keys and pounding drums creating a contemporary pop song without sounding as derivative."

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