Album Review: Ugly Season - Perfume Genius

Mike Hadreas, known best by his stage name Perfume Genius, is no stranger to the art of evolving. From Too Bright and No Shape to 2020’s standout album Set My Heart On Fire Immediately, Hadreas has come close to perfecting the skill of interweaving compelling storytelling with progressive, innovative pop sonics that help move the genre forward. It makes sense, then, that an artist so familiar and comfortable with change would yet again try a different approach, which is exactly what we’re given with Ugly Season. Accompanying the modern dance piece he co-directed called “The Sun Still Burns Here,” Ugly Season functions well as a score and as a standalone album. Leaning into the more challenging, chilling, and complex sounds that occasionally made appearances on his previous projects, Hadreas has proven again that he has nothing to prove, but instead, so much to share with the world.

Stripped back strings and minimal, ominous acoustics on the opening track “Just a Room” set a bleak and rather “ugly” tone for a project that isn’t afraid to pique morbid curiosity in its listening. At first, I was concerned that this contemporary style song was indicating what was to come on the rest of the project, which while perfect for the dance piece it scores, would not end up on my year-end playlists. These fears were quelled with the following “Herem”, which at over 7 minutes long, encourages patient listening that culminates in a cathartic finale after unsettling, dread-inducing tension. “Teeth” follows, and as one of my favorites on the project, proves that this avant-garde style can serve just as satisfying and pleasing as the pop Hadreas released previously, as swelling clarinets and falsetto vocals do the heavy-lifting on this chilling and hypnotizing track.

“Pop Song” is the closest thing we get to Hadreas’s old sound, before embracing post-pop, but still utilizes challenging and nonconventional instrumentation throughout. Glimmers of joy are few and far-between on this project, but when they do arise, they are welcomed with open arms. In direct contrast with this upbeat tone, though, lyrics such as “Our body is stretched, And holding one breath, Shoulder our pain, And bury what’s left” remind us that Hadreas is still exploring dark topics throughout here. The instrumental “Scherzo” uses keys and unsettling tempos to keep the listener on edge, almost setting the scene for a horror movie that would evoke feelings of disruption and uncertainty. The title track “Ugly Season” is another favorite, as Hadreas’s vocals are burdened with anguish and immense beauty at the same time. This project often celebrates moments of euphoria while addressing the many obstacles of difficult upbringings, reflected in its sublime yet unique production.

The album’s back half is truly a triumph, as tracks like “Eye in the Wall” catches me off-guard with its dizzying and pulsating rhythms - taking the listener on a journey during its almost 9-minute runtime. “Photograph” is another excellent track, with slightly more accessible sonics only juxtaposed by poetic and intense lyrics, a theatrical and sinister wonder that ends in beautiful instrumentation. The album’s penultimate track “Hellbent” is wildly exhilarating, featuring tormented and hellish guitar, drums, and vocals that serve as a climactic peak on this emotionally exhaustive and explorative project. “Cenote” is the true final track, echoing and mirroring the opening track’s instrumentation and serving as a bookend for this project.

The greatest artists aren’t deterred or intimidated by the idea of evolving or changing - they are drawn to it. Mike Hadreas’s persona Perfume Genius has proven yet again that feeding and encouraging artistic ambitions can lead to fresh ideas, elevated concepts, and beautiful projects, which is ironically just what Ugly Season is. Whether paired with its accompanying dance piece or not, Ugly Season is a superb, moving, and thought-provoking collection of songs from an incredibly skilled artist.

Favorite tracks: “Herem”, “Teeth”, “Pop Song”, “Ugly Season”, “Eye in the Wall”, “Photograph”, “Hellbent”

SCORE: 8/10