It’s not immediately clear, during the first few seconds of the opening track from Perfume Genius’ debut, Learning, exactly where this song is going. Anyone half-listening to its delicate piano chords might be expecting a jaunty indie-pop number custom-built to soundtrack the latest iPad commercial. That is, until Mike Hadreas’ breathy, androgynous vocals enter: “No one will answer your prayers,” he intones, “until you take off that dress.” It’s a striking non sequitur and a powerful image, and for the duration of the track, the listener is dragged into the depths of Hadreas’ psyche. You can feel that pull in the next line, which is easier to parse if no less bleak: “No one will hear all your crying until you take your last breath.” The manner in which Hadreas delivers his songs suggests a struggle with identity and artifice, as he tries to get across complex ideas and feelings through a somber character sketch. Whether “Learning” is autobiographical or entirely fictional, the details hit like the real deal, and Hadreas inhabits his work so fully, the lines between memory and imagination dissolve to the point of invisibility. MORE
