2012, Matador

VINYL FORMAT. Perfume Genius is Mike Hadreas, a Seattle songwriter whose jarring 2010 debut album, Learning, was called "an album of rare, redemptive beauty, one of the most uniquely endearing and quietly forceful debut albums of recent years". His new album, Put Your Back N 2 It, is much more universal, addressing intimacy, power, family, secrecy, and hope not just through his impressionistic lyrics, but the music itself, which is as lush as Learning was stark. Recorded by Drew Morgan and John Goodmanson, this sonically beautiful, more approachable album will connect with more people directly.