Perfume Genius will return this spring with an album that he’s describing as one of the boldest artistic statements of his 15-year career. Glory, out March 28 on his longtime label Matador Records, is the seventh studio album from Mike Hadreas’ long-running art-rock project.
Lead single “It’s a Mirror” features a propulsive folk-rock arrangement under Hadreas’ voice as he sings about internal conflicts and longing for freedom: “What do I get out of being established?/I still run and hide when a man’s at the door.”
“I wake up overwhelmed even when nothing is going on,” he said in a press release on the song’s themes. “I spend the rest of the day trying to regulate, which I prefer to do at home alone with my thoughts. But why? They are mostly bad. They also haven’t really changed for decades. I wrote ‘It’s a Mirror’ while stuck in one of these isolating loops, seeing that something different and maybe even beautiful is out there but not quite knowing how to venture out. I have a lot more practice keeping the door closed.”
“It’s a Mirror” has a notably strong melody and a confident performance, which makes for an intriguing contrast with those lyrics. The music video, also out today, was directed by Cody Critchloe, who first worked with Perfume Genius on the video for his breakthrough 2014 single “Queen.”
In a statement, Hadreas discussed the invigorating feeling of collaboration he got from working on this album with life/band partner Alan Wyffels and producer Blake Mills, as well as backing musicians who include guitarists Meg Duffy (a.k.a. Hand Habits) and Greg Uhlmann, drummers Jim Keltner (Bob Dylan, George Harrison) and Tim Carr, and bassist Pat Kelly.
“I’m more engaged with the band and the audience,” Hadreas said. “I’m still on some wild tear, but there’s more access and it’s more collaborative, in a way that makes it better, but also scary — because it feels more vulnerable.”
Perfume Genius won rave reviews in 2020 for his album Set My Heart on Fire Immediately. He followed that two years later with Ugly Season, originally written to accompany a dance piece by choreographer Kate Wallich. Glory is his first studio album since then, and its track list includes character-based songs drawing on people he dreamed up for those last two projects.
Along with the album news, he has also announced a six-week North American tour for Glory, kicking off in northern California in mid-May before wrapping in Portland in late June.
Perfume Genius 2025 Tour Dates
May 12 — Healdsburg, CA @ Little Saint
May 13 — San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
May 16 — Salt Lake City @ Kilby Court Block Party
May 24 — Sao Paulo, Brazil @ C6 Fest
May 30 — Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
May 31 — Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole
June 2 — Austin, TX @ Emo’s
June 3 — Dallas, TX @ The Studio at The Factory
June 5 — Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
June 6 — Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom
June 7 — Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club
June 8 — Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
June 10 — New York, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount
June 12 — Boston, MA @ Royale
June 13 — Buffalo, NY @ Electric City
June 14 — Toronto, ON @ The Concert Hall
June 15 — Cleveland, OH @ Globe Iron
June 17 — Chicago, IL @ The Vic Theatre
June 18 — Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
June 19 — Kansas City, MO @ The Truman
June 21 — Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre
June 23 — Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Hall
June 26 — Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
June 27 — Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
