Hadreas recorded the album with producer Blake Mills, who helmed his previous three albums (beginning with 2017’s No Shape), and Alan Wyffels, Hadreas’ boyfriend and close collaborator, whose low vocal harmonies throughout add a depth and a rich counterpoint to Hadreas’ leads.

Make no mistake, this is arguably Hadreas’ finest work as a vocalist — confident, dynamic, and everything you’d expect if you’re familiar with his artistry. But it’s the presence of the Perfume Genius backing band that sets Glory apart from Hadreas’ catalogue. It’s the first time he recorded with the band – which includes guitarists Meg Duffy and Greg Uhlmann, drummers Tim Carr and Jim Keltner, and bassist Pat Kelly – and the music is, in turns; boisterous and melodic (“It’s a Mirror,” Glory’s earwormy lead single), tender and esoteric (“Left For Tomorrow”), and totally ass-thumpin’ (“No Front Teeth,” featuring Aldous Harding on guest vocals).

Hadreas admits his processes for creating his albums are different each time and “kind of all over the place.” 2022’s orchestral and grandiose Ugly Season, for example, was developed through improvisation and experimentation with Mills and Wyffels, with vocal melodies added over top after the fact. At other times, Hadreas will make demos, layering in his own harmonies and mocking up horns or other instruments with his voice.

With Glory, he wrote it all on piano and recorded just the chords and vocal melodies, giving the band enough space to fill in their parts, their own way. “I just wanted the spirit to be intact when I brought [the songs] to them, and then we could all fill out the world,” he says.

“They all have this ability to go into my song, but also bring their own thing. I think that’s a really hard balance. I cannot do that, like, bringing their own spirit to something, but within a framework that is being shared to them. It’s not born from them, but then [the song] becomes its own thing.”

As a result, Glory sounds and feels like Perfume Genius has broken new ground, fusing elements of Americana, jangle pop, and the grunginess of his hometown, Seattle. “I approached all [my albums] differently, but this feels like a uniting of all those things in a way that feels really satisfying,” he says.

“It makes me feel very smart and, like, zoomed out, which is what I was trying to do. Which is hard. The more you do it, the more pressure that’s on you. It’s hard to not be too close to everything.”

It’s a common thing for an aging artist — you get self-conscious about doing things the same old way. Do we become rote, a cliche of ourselves? Hadreas explores the terror that comes with that feeling throughout Glory, even if the feeling of the album evokes something else — what can happen when, instead of giving in to the fear, we channel our instincts and the confidence earned by having a better handle on ourselves. It’s a glorious thing. It’s the sound of Glory.