Highest Recent Ratings

Albums to watch

No Shape

Perfume Genius

No Shape

Fourth album from Seattle-based indie pop solo artist Mike Hadreas produced by Blake Mills (Laura Marling, Jesca Hoop, Fiona Apple)

ADM rating[?]

8.1

Label
Matador
UK Release date
05/05/2017
US Release date
05/05/2017
Listen on Spotify
Related Links
Last.fm Myspace Wikipedia
Share
Share |

  1. 10.0 |   The Skinny

    These are vital hymns to unite and strengthen, and his press release states in no uncertain terms that Hadreas intends to change your life
    Read Review

  2. 10.0 |   DIY

    A masterclass in kitschy indulgence and raw honesty alike
    Read Review

  3. 10.0 |   NOW

    Mike Hadreas's beautiful fourth album is his most vivid and joyous release to date
    Read Review

  4. 9.5 |   The 405

    The most personal, epic and accomplished album Perfume Genius has recorded yet
    Read Review

  5. 9.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    With strident chords, spiralling melodies, and a shiver inducing delivery, No Shape might spend a lot of its time searching, but in being open about that the record presents Perfume Genius at his most realised
    Read Review

  6. 9.0 |   Crack

    There’s an assured, urgent message of resistance which bleeds into the album and defines it, and just as Hadreas tells you to shine bright, No Shape glows from within
    Read Review

  7. 9.0 |   God Is In The TV

    No Shape is an astonishing record
    Read Review

  8. 9.0 |   Spectrum Culture

    No Shape is seeking transcendence beyond humanity
    Read Review

  9. 8.8 |   Pitchfork

    His most realized album yet, a tender and transcendental protest record of love and devotion
    Read Review

  10. 8.5 |   Earbuddy

    Perfume Genius makes another BIG statement with No Shape
    Read Review

  11. 8.3 |   Consequence Of Sound

    No Shape may feel, to some listeners, less cohesive than past Perfume Genius records, but it makes up for that with endless inventiveness and daring passion
    Read Review

  12. 8.3 |   A.V. Club

    It’s a credit to Hadreas and producer Blake Mills that its 13 tracks sound as seamless and cohesive as they do
    Read Review

  13. 8.3 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    All the music is characterized by a baroque sense of melodrama, but if No Shape has one defining quality, from “No Shape” to more delicate tracks like “Every Night,” it’s confidence
    Read Review

  14. 8.2 |   Gig Soup

    On 'No Shape', Perfume Genius sounds both barmy and operatic, sumptuous and expansive, without sacrificing any of his trademark tenderness
    Read Review

  15. 8.0 |   The Quietus

    Perhaps his most assured and confident album
    Read Review

  16. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    This record feels like the next chapter; the cautiously content album that follows the scared and the angry, although we get the feeling this is not the last in a trilogy of the eras of Perfume Genius
    Read Review

  17. 8.0 |   Tiny Mix Tapes

    The soaring production value is not accompanied by conceptual upending or reinvention, but rather extends into a grand sort of sequel vision of Perfume Genius
    Read Review

  18. 8.0 |   Under The Radar

    His past has a way of informing the hidden spaces of the new songs, which glide effortlessly from R&B to trip-hop, Krautrock to chamber pop
    Read Review

  19. 8.0 |   The Observer

    Tortured soul Mike Hadreas takes a huge leap forward on his triumphant, shape-shifting fourth LP
    Read Review

  20. 8.0 |   Exclaim

    His fourth and most immediate album, embraces the lush orchestration that he's previously only teased
    Read Review

  21. 8.0 |   Evening Standard

    His most ambitious release yet
    Read Review

  22. 8.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    A record with many a moment of gorgeousness
    Read Review

  23. 8.0 |   Q

    Feels like a statement of defiance, strength and unabashed beauty. Print edition only

  24. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    Dazzling, self-healing alt.pop
    Read Review

  25. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    True to turbulent form, Mike Hadreas jams together moments of euphoric pop beauty with disruptive ugliness in an album of uniformly fantastic tunes
    Read Review

  26. 8.0 |   Uncut

    Finds Hadreas building on Too Bright in every direction at once. ... The queer subtext of Hadreas' work is the source of much of its power. Print edition only

  27. 8.0 |   Mojo

    A heady, volatile brew that, in these emboldened settings, have the makings of anthems. Print edition only

  28. 7.0 |   The Music

    Sweetly offers carefree romantic adventure
    Read Review

  29. 7.0 |   Clash

    A new exciting chapter for Perfume Genius, one that’s happy to fully throw off the image of the tortured artist for brighter, bolder entity
    Read Review

  30. 7.0 |   PopMatters

    Imperfect yet fascinating and occasionally gorgeous, No Shape once again expands and defies any preconceived boundaries of the Perfume Genius project
    Read Review

  31. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    For all the power of his rapturously forlorn persona, it turns out Hadreas sounds better with company
    Read Review

  32. 6.0 |   The FT

    Some of the tracks could do with more directness, but overall the desired liberty is achieved
    Read Review

  33. 4.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    This is an album that’s trying too hard to contrive depth
    Read Review

  34. Back to main chart

blog comments powered by Disqus
buy it at amazon download it from itunes

Watch it

Roll over video for more options

Hear it

Preview & download it

Perfume Genius: No Shape

  • Download full album for just £8.49
  • 1. Otherside £0.89
  • 2. Slip Away £0.89
  • 3. Just Like Love £0.89
  • 4. Go Ahead £0.89
  • 5. Valley £0.89
  • 6. Wreath £0.89
  • 7. Every Night £0.89
  • 8. Choir £0.89
  • 9. Die 4 You £0.89
  • 10. Sides £0.89
  • 11. Braid £0.89
  • 12. Run Me Through £0.89
  • 13. Alan £0.89
  • Service provided by 7Digital

Latest Reviews

Taylor Swift  The Tortured Poets Department

The star of her generation’s 11th album has much to enjoy, yet she could benefit from some new lenses through which to view the world musicOMH

A Certain Ratio  It All Comes Down To This

Delicate tension, bass-driven grooves and danceable beats all feature on the thirteenth album from Manchester post-punk survivors musicOMH

Pearl Jam  Dark Matter

There’s a reason why one of the few survivors of the grunge scene have been so enduring – they are extraordinarily good at what they do musicOMH

More reviews

All-time top 10

Since we've been around, that is. So, the highest-rated albums from the past twelve years or so. Rankings are calculated to two decimal places.

  1. 9.3

    Kendrick Lamar To Pimp A Butterfly

  2. 9.2

    Fiona Apple Fetch The Bolt Cutters

  3. 9.1

    Kendrick Lamar Damn.

  4. 9.1

    D'Angelo And The Vanguard Black Messiah

  5. 9.0

    Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Ghosteen

  6. 9.0

    Self Esteem Prioritise Pleasure

  7. 8.9

    Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways

  8. 8.9

    Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Skeleton Tree

  9. 8.9

    Frank Ocean Channel Orange

  10. 8.9

    Dave We’re All Alone In This Together

See full list