With “Clean Heart,” Perfume Genius (Michael Hadreas) presents an utterly stunning last glimpse of his forthcoming album, “Glory,” due for release on March 28. A return to his signature emotional intensity, the track is an exquisite study of resistance and surrender, enwrapped in the almost sacred stillness.
Reuniting with his longtime collaborator and producer Blake Mills and keyboardist and co-writer Alan Wyffels, Hadreas builds “Clean Heart” around a quiet, majestic grandeur. The song explores space in arrangement and how the emotions unfold naturally without feeling rushed or forced. There’s an openness in the composing, an intentional elongation of moments, an expansiveness that creates a feeling of intimacy layered on top of spaciousness.
Perfume Genius’ singing is the clearest standout, a display of control and vulnerability. His voice surges through the song with a fragile power, steeped in a mild ache that settles long. He operates inside the music, his voice stretched and sighing, seemingly weightless but filled with feeling.
Styled instrumentally, “Clean Heart” is minimalist yet deeply acutely evocative. Soft, pilfered layers of drifting keys and buoyant textures form an almost Nocturne-like haze, allowing Hadreas’s voice to bubble to the surface. There are no great flourishes or crescendos, and the song glides with an understated force, a reminder that the quietest maneuvers are often the most impactful.
The final peek into “Glory” before its complete rollout, “Clean Heart,” sets the tone for an album with the potential for depth, elegance, and a bold willingness to lean into raw emotion. It’s a song that doesn’t ask for attention but deserves it, pulling listeners close with its aching loveliness. Perfume Genius has long been a master of crafting music that feels like a whispered confession, and with “Clean Heart,” he’s once again proven that there is great strength in vulnerability. “Clean Heart” is a breathtaking reminder that power often lives in spaces separating the notes.
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