Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 5/22/25
Perfume Genius show on June 5 at Variety Playhouse, Glory out now.
Today, Perfume Genius (Mike Hadreas) has released his new single “No Front Teeth” featuring New Zealand folk singer-songwriter Aldous Harding. The track is full of tension bolstered by time changes throughout the song and the haunting, ethereal chorus driven by Harding’s vocals. The music video is directed by Cody Critcheloe (who directed Perfume Genius’ legendary “Queen” video) and is a fever dream-unhinged, sexually charged, hilarious and riveting, leaving the viewer questioning what is real and what is an aberration. It features Hadreas, Harding and longtime Perfume Genius band member and co-writer Alan Wyffels. Watch the video HERE
Last month, Perfume Genius announced his new album, Glory, coming out March 28th on long-time label home Matador Records. Glory was produced by Blake Mills and marks the 7th studio album in Hadreas; immaculate body of work. Along with the announcement, he released the first single, “It’s a Mirror,” which received near unanimous critical praise and Pitchfork’s “Best New Track” distinction.”Hadreas ushers in a muscular and direct sound that feels like a decisive pendular swing back from the diffuse ambiance of 2022’s Ugly Season. Hadreas himself has never sounded sexier or more confident as a frontman, and while this isn’t Perfume Genius’ first foray into twang—’It’s a Mirror’ stakes its claim in a musical tradition that, though it’s always been home to outlaws, can just as often breed a festering myopia,” they said.
On his new album Glory, Perfume Genius re-teams with long-time producer Blake Mills and keyboardist and co-writer Wyffels along with an incredible group of musicians who have played previously with Hadreas on the road and in the studio including guitarists Meg Duffy (Hand Habits) and Greg Uhlmann, drummers Tim Carr and Jim Keltner, and bassist Pat Kelly as well as a special appearance from New Zealand singer-songwriter Aldous Harding. After approaching writing as an insular practice for much of his career, in the process of making Glory. Hadreas welcomed more collaboration from the musicians working on the project. The result is a more wiry and driving musical underbed to Hadreas’ stories. The album contains themes that he’s wrestled with artistically throughout his career – themes of the body and its decay, of domesticity and love, and of inescapable history and damage. There is also a return of some of his characters including Jason. But Glory is written from a new vantage point – on the other side of struggle, where one is left to contend with all that has happened but also has to learn to live in a still and uncharted place. An album bio, on Glory, by Daniel Felsenthal, can be found after the tracklist below
Perfume Genius has also announced an extensive North American tour in support of the album. The shows kick off in Healdsburg at Little Saint on May 12th and wrap up on June 27th at Revolution Hall in Portland, OR. Highlights include The Fillmore in San Francisco on May 13th, the Brooklyn Paramount on June 10th and the Showbox in Hadreas’ hometown of Seattle on June 26th. Tickets are on sale now.
Hadreas, a Seattle native, began his music career in 2008 and released his debut album, Learning, in 2010 via long-time label home Matador. The album immediately captured critics’ attention, with Pitchfork praising its “eviscerating and naked” songs, marked by “heartbreaking sentiments and bruised characterizations delivered in a voice that ranges from an ethereal croon to a slightly cracked warble.” These descriptors became the hallmarks of Perfume Genius – Hadreas’ unique ability to convey emotional vulnerability not only lyrically, but with his impressively nuanced vocals.
In 2012, Perfume Genius released Put Your Back N 2 It, further growing his audience and critical acclaim. His 2014 album, Too Bright, marked a bold evolution in production and confidence. Co-produced by Adrian Utley of Portishead, it featured the standout single “Queen,” which quickly became a queer anthem and powerful statement of identity. Hadreas later performed the track on Late Night with David Letterman.
In 2017, Perfume Genius released the GRAMMY-nominated No Shape, a breakthrough album that expanded his global fan base and brought mainstream recognition to his art. Produced by Blake Mills (Fiona Apple, Alabama Shakes), the record earned high praise, with The New Yorker noting, “The center of his music has always been a defiant delicacy—a ragged, affirmative understanding of despair. No Shape finds him unexpectedly victorious, his body exalted.” During the album’s campaign, Hadreas appeared on multiple late-night shows and graced the cover of The Fader.In 2020, Hadreas released Set My Heart On Fire Immediately, a critical masterpiece on Matador Records that garnered worldwide acclaim. Produced by GRAMMY winner Blake Mills, the album featured contributions from Phoebe Bridgers, Jim Keltner, Pino Palladino, Matt Chamberlin, Rob
Moose, and longtime collaborator Alan Wyffels. It explored and subverted concepts of masculinity and traditional roles, introducing distinctly American musical influences.Hadreas promoted the album with performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He followed with Ugly Season, a project born from his collaboration with choreographer Kate Wallich on The Sun Still Burns Here, a dance piece commissioned by Seattle Theatre Group and Mass MoCA and performed across major cities in 2019. The release included a stunning 30-minute film, Pygmalion’s Ugly Season, created with renowned visual artist Jacolby Satterwhite, blending surreal visuals with Hadreas music.
Track Listing – Perfume Genius – Glory
- It’s a Mirror
- No Front Teeth (feat. Aldous Harding)
- Clean Heart
- Me & Angel
- Left For Tomorrow
- Full On
- Capezio
- Dion
- In a Row
- Hanging Out
- Glory
Tour Dates
*New dates in bold
03/29/25 – 6 Music Festival – Manchester, UK
05/10/25 – Just Like Heaven – Los Angeles, CA
5/12/25 – Little Saint — Healdsburg, CA
5/13/25 – The Fillmore — San Francisco, CA
5/16/25 – Kilby Court Block Party — Salt Lake City, UT
5/24/25 – C6 Fest — Sao Paulo, BR
5/30/25 – The Van Buren — Phoenix, AZ
5/31/25 – 191 Toole — Tucson, AZ
6/2/25 – Emo’s — Austin, TX
6/3/25 – The Studio at The Factory — Dallas, TX
6/5/25 – Variety Playhouse — Atlanta, GA
6/6/25 – Haw River Ballroom — Saxapahaw, NC
6/7/25 – 9:30 Club — Washington, DC
6/8/25 – Union Transfer — Philadelphia, PA
6/10/25 – Brooklyn Paramount — Brooklyn, NY
6/12/25 – Royale — Boston, MA
6/13/25 – Electric City — Buffalo, NY
6/14/25 – The Concert Hall — Toronto, ON
6/15/25 – Globe Iron — Cleveland, OH
6/17/25 – The Vic Theatre — Chicago, IL
6/18/25 – First Avenue — Minneapolis, MN
6/19/25 – The Truman — Kansas City, MO
6/21/25 – Gothic Theatre — Denver, CO
6/23/25 – Treefort Music Hall — Boise, ID
6/26/25 – The Showbox — Seattle, WA
6/27/25 – Revolution Hall — Portland, OR
