Remember in 2010 when everyone went a bit crazy for then generally unheard, lipstick wearing, piano playing, Perfume Genius when his album Learning was released on Turnstile? Well, this week he released his second album, the oddly entitled, Put Your Back N 2 It. This album also possess beautiful, piano accompanied songs with the same heart wrenching fragility, it’s just a little more developed; gone are the tales of getting stoned with creepy older men and present are songs of personal inner growth.

 

After an experimental, atmospheric beginning, the first song to provoke a spine shudder is ‘No Tear’ – a song about life after loss whilst ’17′ continues in this style. Already we can define this as an album on the theme of personal strength.

 

‘Dark Parts’ is a more upbeat affair which features a dramatic motivational drum beat which drives the whole thing – with motivation and reassurance being the key themes of the song, this works immensely well, with the additional ritardando, this song is pretty much perfect.

 

‘All Waters’ is a much slower follow up about homosexual equality and is pretty short, clocking in at 2:10, yet not as short as recent single ‘Hood’ which follows and is sounding as wonderfully delicate as it always has done.

 

Title track, ‘Put Your Back N 2 It’ is a beautiful arpeggio ballad based solely on the piano which contrasts greatly to ‘Floating Spit’ which is what comes next on this twelve track LP. ‘Sister Song’ concludes the listening proceedings and is a beautiful way to end the album; a song of friendship and encouragement.

 

This LP is everything that you would expect from Perfume Genius and more. He’s moved on vastly from his 2010 debut and has developed into, not only into a beautiful songwriter (sorry to use the ‘b’ word again – but it’s so true) but a songwriter that clearly and majestically promotes the ideas that he wishes to promote within his music. This album appears to have done everything that he wanted it to do which is a great achievement in itself.

 

 

10 / 10 

 

Put Your Back N 2 It is out on Turnstile / Matador now. 

 

Words by Katie Wilkinson