It’s been a heavy year where we’ve all had to find new routes to some light relief.

If you’re Perfume Genius that’s meant asking your followers on Twitter to send you photos of their pet Chihuahuas so he can match them with songs. Y’know, that kind of thing. Or, in the absence of any traditional touring, driving his band out into the Joshua Tree desert to roll in dust and perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Last week I called up Mike Hadreas (and his dog Wanda) at home in L.A. to talk – among other things – about 10 years of his debut album Learning, last year’s immersive theatre project The Sun Still Burns Here that made him cry at passing cars and the enduring brilliance of Liz Phair.

Plus, a bit about his latest album Set My Heart On Fire Immediately that’ll surely land in many end of year lists.