On his 2020 album Set My Heart on Fire Immediately, Perfume Genius delved into connections. “I was sort of obsessed with thinking about connecting more to the world, connecting more to my body, connecting more to people,” the artist, real name Mike Hadreas, told Apple Music ahead of its release. “Thinking about relationships that I have, and ones that I want, and ones that are in my old journals that still resonate with me.” That exploration is rendered even more poignant on this remixed version, released almost exactly a year into a global pandemic that has starved so many of us of those connections and shared experiences.
Here, Hadreas hands the 13 tracks of Set My Heart on Fire Immediately to an all-star cast of collaborators including A. G. Cook, Jim-E Stack, Jenny Hval, Boy Harsher, rising British talent Westerman, and more, who each dive even deeper into the exquisite light and shade of Hadreas’ much-celebrated fifth album. Expect opulent ’80s updates to “On the Floor”—Set My Heart on Fire Immediately’s glorious pop moment, remixed by Initial Talk—and “Your Body Changes Everything,” which is given a shimmering new version courtesy of Boy Harsher. Elsewhere, the breathtaking “Jason” is transformed into a pulsating dance track by Planningtorock, while A. G. Cook delivers an emotive, glitching take on “Describe” and Danny L Harle gives “Just a Touch” an inspired acid-rave makeover. IMMEDIATELY Remixes may show these songs in a thrilling new light, but they retain every inch of their originals’ heart.