Album Review: Cheap Perfume, Don't Care. Didn't Ask.

Sweaty, gnarly, and politically charged, Colorado-based Cheap Perfume's third album, Don't Care. Didn't Ask, is a 28-minute anthem for Americans who need to scream their guts out. Released in early October, the album was my introduction to the band, self-identifying on Instagram as femcore punk rock. It took all but two seconds of listening to know they'd live up to their word. 

The opening lyric to Don't Care. Didn't Ask's first track, "Probably It's Capitalism", strikes sharp, blunt, and unapologetic, with female vocals that shout, "Hey, Bezos! What’s in the bag? It’s the unpaid wages of the working class!" From start to final song, it's a chaotically cathartic ride. Like "Probably It's Capitalism", there's "Anytown USA" and "Blood On Your Hands" featuring systematic burnout suffered by the 99%. "Down to Riot" embodies the employee and CEO dynamic of soul-sucking corporations. Then "Dead If You Do", "No Men", and "Desert, I Get Wet" are homages to women who've escaped the nightmare of domestic violence, specific to heteronormative relationships.

Don’t Care. Didn’t Ask succeeds on sheer conviction–its power, autonomy, and clarity of intent. Where the album slightly falters is in its sequencing. The order creates a front half that sits in a narrower sonic lane, making the listening experience feel less effective than it could have been, despite the songs themselves landing. The most memorable moments arrive later. From "Okay Party" onward, there's greater expression with vocal and instrumental textures that allow distinction. These were the songs that lingered with me days later.

For casual or first-time listeners, this may pose a retention hurdle, not because the songs lacked substance, but because the album suits a punk-matured ear. In that way, Don’t Care. Didn’t Ask feels ideal for listeners already fluent in the lineage of riot grrrl and punk. Think Bikini Kill or Le Butcherettes. Although the elements that make Don’t Care. Didn’t Ask a slower burn on record are exactly what would make it contagious live. Regardless of genre familiarity, this album would jolt audiences' attention through raw momentum and energy exchange. A takeover of physical immediacy.

Don’t Care. Didn’t Ask is an album that delivers relatability through tension and visceral release. Cheap Perfume speaks The People's language, proving that punk is alive, well, and forever necessary.