Set My Heart on Fire Immediately

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately is the fifth album of the American singer Perfume Genius, released May 15, 2020. The album was released through Matador Records as the follow up to 2017s No Shape and received widespread critical acclaim.

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately
Studio album by Perfume Genius
Released	May 15, 2020 (2020-05-15)
Studio	Sound City (Van Nuys, California)
Length	50:42
Label	Matador
Producer	Blake Mills
Perfume Genius chronology
No Shape (2017) Set My Heart on Fire Immediately (2020)
Singles from Set My Heart on Fire Immediately
"Describe" Released: 25 February 2020 "On the Floor" Released: 16 March 2020

Background

In an interview with Jia Tolentino, Mike Hadreas described the album as influenced by his work with choreographer Kate Wallich on a 2019 dance piece titled "The Sun Still Burns Here".[1] Hadreas composed numerous songs for the performance, with two singles, "Eye in the Wall" and "Pop Song" resulting, though neither was included on Set My Heart on Fire Immediately. Of the experience, Hadreas explained that the themes of embodiment in his prior music were complicated as dance felt "rebellious against [his] body." He explained that dancing "blew up this separation between [his] work and the world," resulting in changes to his songwriting, with songs now telling stories grounded in real-life settings and about real people. He cited Townes Van Zandt, Enya, and Cocteau Twins as influences on the new album.[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	8.8/10[3]
Metacritic	91/100[4]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
The Daily Telegraph	[6]
The Guardian	[7]
The Independent	[8]
Mojo	[9]
NME	[10]
Pitchfork	9.0/10[11]
Q	[12]
Rolling Stone	[13]
The Times	[14]

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately received rave reviews. At review aggregator Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received a weighted average score of 91 out of 100, based on 21 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim" and making it Perfume Genius' highest rated album on the website.[4]

Accolades

Accolades for Set My Heart on Fire Immediately

Publication	Accolade	Rank	Ref.
Billboard	Billboard's 50 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year	N/A	[15]
Entertainment Weekly	The best albums of 2020… so far	N/A	[16]
Paste	Paste's 25 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year	3	[17]
Slant	The Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)	N/A	[18]
Spin	Spin's 30 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year	N/A	[19]
Stereogum	Stereogum's 50 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year	3	[20]
Uproxx	The Best Albums Of 2020 So Far	17	[21]
Variety	Variety's Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year	N/A	[22]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Mike Hadreas, except where noted.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Whole Life"	3:53
2.	"Describe"	4:44
3.	"Without You"	2:35
4.	"Jason"	3:05
5.	"Leave"	3:05
6.	"On the Floor" (Hadreas, Alan Wyffels)	5:03
7.	"Your Body Changes Everything"	4:13
8.	"Moonbend" (Hadreas, Blake Mills)	5:21
9.	"Just a Touch"	3:28
10.	"Nothing at All"	4:27
11.	"One More Try"	3:01
12.	"Some Dream"	4:18
13.	"Borrowed Light"	3:22
Total length:		50:42

Personnel

Musicians

• Mike Hadreas – vocals (all tracks), synthesizers (1, 2, 5, 7, 10, 12, 13), Wurlitzer (4)
• Blake Mills – guitar (1–3, 7–9, 11, 12), bass (1, 3, 4, 7, 9, 11), synthesizers (1, 4, 8, 10, 12, 13), drums (1), glockenspiel (1), synth guitar (6, 11), harmony vocals (6, 10, 11), organ (8, 10), piano (11, 12), synth drums (12), harmonium (13)
• Matt Chamberlain – additional drums (1), drums (4, 6, 7, 10, 12)
• Rob Moose – violin (1, 3–5, 9, 13), viola (1, 3–5, 9, 13)
• Alan Wyffels – piano (1, 12), organ (3, 9), harpsichord (4), synthesizers (5, 8, 12), harmony vocals (7), flute (8), Wurlitzer (12), Rhodes (13)
• Jim Keltner – drums (2, 3, 9, 11)
• Pino Palladino – bass (2, 6, 7)
• Gabriel Cabezas – cello (3, 4, 9, 13)
• Sam Gendel – synthesizers (4), saxophone (7, 8, 12), synth drums (7), drum machine (7, 10)
• Phoebe Bridgers – harmony vocals (6)
• Ethan Gruska – harmony vocals (6), vocals (6), percussion (6)

Engineers

• Blake Mills – production
• Joseph Lorge – engineering
• Greg Koller – engineering, mixing
• Patricia Sullivan – mastering
• Ian Sefchick – mastering

Artwork

• Camille Vivier – photographs
• Andrew J. S. – art direction

Charts

Chart performance for Set My Heart on Fire Immediately

Chart (2020)	Peak position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[23]	21
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[24]	39
Scottish Albums (OCC)[25]	19
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[26]	7
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[27]	34
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[28]	18
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[29]	45
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[30]	21

References

1. Tolentino, Jia. "Perfume Genius Wants to Make You Feel Less Lonely". The New Yorker. The New Yorker. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
2. Torres, Eric. "Perfume Genius Breaks Down Every Song on His Beguiling New Album, Set My Heart on Fire Immediately". Pitchfork. Pitchfork. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
3. "Set My Heart On Fire Immediately by Perfume Genius reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
4. "Set My Heart on Fire Immediately by Perfume Genius Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
5. Phares, Heather. "Set My Heart on Fire Immediately – Perfume Genius". AllMusic. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
6. McCormick, Neil (May 16, 2020). "This week's best new albums: Perfume Genius, Charli XCX, Sparks and more". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
7. Petridis, Alexis (May 14, 2020). "Perfume Genius: Set My Heart on Fire Immediately review – pop poet discovers new powers". The Guardian. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
8. O'Connor, Roisin; Bray, Elisa (May 14, 2020). "Album reviews: Perfume Genius, Sparks and Moses Sumney". The Independent. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
9. Segal, Victoria (June 2020). "Smell the magic". Mojo. No. 319. p. 94.
10. Britton, Luke Morgan (May 13, 2020). "Perfume Genius – 'Set My Heart On Fire Immediately' review: experimentalist finds strength in restraint". NME. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
11. Bloom, Madison (May 18, 2020). "Perfume Genius: Set My Heart on Fire Immediately Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
12. Aroesti, Rachel (Summer 2020). "Perfume Genius: Set My Heart on Fire Immediately". Q. No. 413. p. 104.
13. Dolan, Jon (May 18, 2020). "Perfume Genius Beautifully Maps His Desires on 'Set My Heart on Fire Immediately'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
14. Hodgkinson, Will (May 15, 2020). "Perfume Genius: Set My Heart On Fire Immediately review — a long, slow pleasure". The Times. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
15. Billboard Staff (June 9, 2020). "The 50 Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)". Billboard. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
16. "The best albums of 2020… so far". Entertainment Weekly. 3 July 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
17. "The Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)". Paste. June 8, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
18. "The Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)". Slant. 29 June 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
19. Spin Staff (May 21, 2020). "The 30 Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)". Spin. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
20. "Best Albums of 2020 So Far". Stereogum. June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
21. "The Best Albums Of 2020 So Far". Consequence of Sound. 22 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
22. Aswad, Jem; Willman, Chris; Barker, Andrew (June 5, 2020). "Best Albums of 2020 So Far". Variety. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
23. "Ultratop.be – Perfume Genius – Set My Heart on Fire Immediately" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
24. "Portuguesecharts.com – Perfume Genius – Set My Heart on Fire Immediately". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
25. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
26. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
27. "Perfume Genius Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
28. "Perfume Genius Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
29. "Perfume Genius Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
30. "Perfume Genius Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 10, 2020.