New Music: Perfume Genius

Again, an artist who is not exactly new to me. Mike Hadreas a.k.a Perfume Genius was actually brought to my attention by James Vincent McMorrow - a genuinely reliable source for new bands I might add! In the last few days, Hadreas announced a live tour of Europe that unfortunately does not include a stop off in Ireland. But let me tell you, he'd be worth the flights...

A tortured folk act - he bares resemblances to Sufjan Stevens (who will be the subject of a post later!) in terms in the subtlety and tender sounds of his work, most notably on Learning. A piano driven affair, his voice cracks and creaks above the meandering keys for barely two and a half minutes.

He has apparently lived a very difficult live so far and is pouring these demons into his music. Addiction, abuse, suicide... These all form the core of his song-writing and it's clear that there are many stories to be told here. A genuinely haunting sound...