is the album ' has been waiting to make his entire life. By tracing the pain of growing up as the gay son of Pentecostal preacher parents -- and how the psychic aftershocks lingered into adulthood -- his music reaches new levels of maturity. 's fifth album culminates a journey that began on and , both of which grounded his songs in an appealing honesty. On , he ratchets up the truth-telling by several degrees; the nude photos of that grace the album (which were taken at his childhood home while his parents were at service) can't compare to the nakedness of his memories and emotions. "When I was a young boy I dealt with pain/Wrapping myself in purple and pink and silver/They tried to take away those beautiful things/The tender side of me," he sings on "Pool Boy," one of many times he looks back on his original heartbreak and realizes just how bad it was. "Was it so hard to be a little kinder?" he asks on "I Want It All," a deft blend of past and present trauma that also makes for one of the record's catchiest moments. Here and on 's other standouts, drives home his heartaches and epiphanies with the hooks and melodies expected of , but the tension between the music's exuberant jangle and lyrical depth feels reinvigorated. On "Better," he pairs bittersweet guitars with mic drop-worthy declarations of independence ("my loneliness f*cks me better than you"). 's ballads express his difficulties with intimacy -- physical and mental -- with remarkably nuanced self-loathing, self-awareness, self-acceptance, and bravery. asks for grace from potential lovers on the '60s soul-tinged "Be Gentle" and "Teach My Body," which layers pain, sensuality, and hope with striking frankness. In turn, he shows the tenderness he needed so desperately in his early years to someone new on "Green Grass." The risks he takes on aren't just emotional, however. At times, the album evokes in its conceptual ambition and uses electronics so evocatively they could be another character in the story. Nervy keyboards echo "Isolette"'s tumbling admissions; frantic beats chase "I'm Still Scared"'s racing thoughts; "Little Jonny" sparkles with wonder at his younger self's strength; and "Harms" creates a sacred space "for all the motherless sons" with heartbeat-like synths and choral vocals. That sacred space extends to the album's emotional climax, "Protect Him Always," where begs his inner child for forgiveness: "I'm healing as fast as I can/I'm so sorry." His growth is evident on every one of 's touching, impressive moments and near-perfect blend of all the sides of ' music -- and that makes his artistic triumph all the sweeter. ~ Heather Phares