Put Your Back N 2 It

Mike Hadreas' first Perfume Genius album, Learning, was as intimate as moments captured in a diary, but on Put Your Back N 2 It, which he recorded in England and Washington, he widens his lyrical scope and sound. Hadreas tackles issues such as family, secrecy, and hope with the same unflinching clarity as he did on his debut, but this time he's backed by lush, keyboard-driven arrangements instead of sparse piano, adding to the album's feeling of reaching out. "All Waters" and "Hood" reaffirm Hadreas' special talent for writing songs that are as unique as they are universal.