That there are nods to his own mortality throughout this third album in Peter Perrett’s late-career renaissance isn’t a massive surprise. After three sublime albums as frontman with the Only Ones between 1978 and 1980, he spent much of the following three and a half decades mired in addiction, only breaking cover in 2017 with How the West Was Won. And so there are songs here called I Wanna Go With Dignity and Do Not Resuscitate, and lyrics about “looking so cool, laid out on a slab”.
It’s Perrett’s always engaging storytelling that takes centre stage – whether on the rueful Set the House on Fire, in which his partner in self-annihilation accidentally immolates herself “like Richard Pryor”, or his Secret Taliban Wife who’s “sending me videos on WhatsApp”. Perrett is backed by a stellar supporting cast that includes Johnny Marr, Bobby Gillespie and Fontaines DC’s Carlos O’Connell, alongside his sons Jamie (guitar/production) and Peter Jr (bass), who provide sympathetic and largely unshowy backing.
Its 20 tracks could probably have done with a little judicious pruning, but The Cleansing is nevertheless a triumph for one of the late 70s’ most singular voices. Long may he carry on.
