19 AUGUST 7-13, 2025 westword.com WESTWORD | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | FIND MORE MUSIC COVERAGE AT WESTWORD.COM/MUSIC Wake Up! CHEAP PERFUME IS PUMMELING THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ON ITS UPCOMING ALBUM. BY ZAC HARY VISCONTI Since Donald Trump took offi ce and, among other things, bolstered the ICE budget, slashed funding for important social and cultural programs, and attempted to censure trans and nonbinary folks into erasure, many people have taken to the streets in dissent. Punk music remains an important, historic form of protest, so it’s fi tting that Denver femme punk outfi t Cheap Perfume is set to drop a timely new album later this year. The band has already released singles “Woke Mind Virus” and “Down to Riot” to tease the forthcoming album, Didn’t Ask. Don’t Care, which drops on October 3 via Snappy Little Numbers. Vocalist Stephanie Byrne, vocalist-guitarist Jane No, bassist Geoff Brent and drummer David Grimm have always worn their anti-capitalist, anti- fascist and pro-women political stances on their sleeves, following in the abrasive tradi- tion of riot grrrl punk bands like Bikini Kill and Bratmobile. On the new songs, Cheap Perfume, which formed in 2015, has yet again sharpened its fast-paced, shout-heavy and guitar-forward brand of feminist punk, holding nothing back in its calls for change. “A lot of the content on our new album has to do with anti-capitalism,” No explains. “So we were just writing about anti-capitalism in general and anti-fascism, and, of course, they go hand in hand with the patriarchy.” Some of the album’s songs were written a few years ago, and the band has already been playing them live. Many, however, were written between late 2024 and early 2025, which explains why the album feels so pertinent during a second Trump presidency. No and Byrne describe the single “Woke Mind Virus” as emblem- atic of the album’s themes, with its jabs at capitalism, Elon Musk and right-wingers who attempt to “own the libs” with “anti-woke” agendas, which simply justify hate against the mar- ginalized. They say the song also takes aim at ICE agents, health insurance CEOs and oligarchs who bow to these policies, ques- tioning plainly in the bridge: What kind of person thinks it’s bad to be awake? “This song, to me, is kind of like the mani- festo for the album,” No says. “There have been a lot of radical changes in the world since our last release, so I thought it was important for us to come out with some- thing bold. “We wrote it in response to the inane ‘war on woke’ and people like Elon Musk demonizing empathy and saying that having compas- sion is weak,” she contin- ues. “This song is a great gut check for the rest of the album… if you relate to what is being said here, I think you’re going to love the re- cord. If it’s pissing you off? Don’t care, didn’t ask.” The song’s scope ex- tends well beyond Musk; No says it’s about billion- aires in general, and how “a system that allows extreme poverty and billionaires to exist on the same planet is disgusting.” That sentiment has con- tinued to spread across the country this year, as the Trump administration has cozied up to the nation’s wealthiest executives while gutting such programs as Medicaid — and we’re only half a year into this term. But, as Byrne points out, the single encourages people to stand strong through the remain- der, as many are already facing the effects of sweeping legislation and his seemingly endless, inundating executive orders. “It feels almost like we kind of just got to take a little rest after the fi rst [Trump] presidency,” Byrne says. “And I think that ‘Woke Mind Virus’ is like such an exciting and anticipatory song, and just the way all of us were gearing up for round two of this, and what this could be. And as Jane said, it’s re- ally, really, really terrible, more impressively than I could have imagined. I think that the song is kind of in that little bubble that we’re all starting to feel again.” The follow-up single, “Down to Riot,” pivots toward labor efforts and pushing back on the nation’s wealthiest one percent, call- ing on workers to “organize, unionize, never cross the picket line.” This push toward direct action is a major thread that runs through the entire album, and Byrne and No want to make certain their listeners get the message. “We were trying to think of, ‘What will people need to be listening to this summer?’ And we wanted to inspire people to be active and to get involved, whether they’re out in the streets or whether they’re taking part in com- munity, mutual aid, direct action,” No says. “We just hope it inspires people and makes them feel that solidarity and that they’re not alone, and that I believe that more people think that the current situation in America is bad than good.” The band’s 2016 single “It’s Okay (to Punch Nazis)” has seen a resur- gence in popularity throughout this year, too, which is bittersweet for the musicians. “It’s exciting when your band has a song that’s getting popu- lar, especially if it’s getting popular again,” No says. “But then you’re like, ‘Oh, wait, it’s getting popular because these ter- rible things are happening.’” “We’d rather there be no Nazis,” Byrne adds. But just as neo-Nazis feel more em- boldened to come out from their parents’ basements during the second Trump admin- istration, this Cheap Perfume track empha- sizes that anti-fascists and punks resisting the regime are sure to fi ght back. The song highlights the importance of solidarity, and the sheer number of its listeners underscores that hope is alive. “I think that one thing that we talk about often, and in keeping hope, is the idea that all these people are listening on all these different platforms. Being able to see those numbers and understanding that those are all people who are feeling inspired to want to do things to change what’s going on.... What a cool feeling to know that there’s so many people who are all sharing the same energy to want to make things better,” Byrne says. While punk music remains an important act of protest, the Cheap Perfume musicians say, many of us must fi nd where our own skillsets and abilities fi t into the puzzle of resistance. The call to apathy can be strong when it feels like we’re helpless, but rec- ognizing that we aren’t alone and taking care of ourselves and each other can be powerful tools. “I defi nitely see some things as being like, it’s really important right now to take care of ourselves, fi rst and foremost,” Byrne says. “If we aren’t caring for ourselves, our mental health or physical health, then we’re not go- ing to be good for anybody else.” “I always like to remind people, including myself, that you don’t have to be out in the streets to be making a difference,” No con- cludes. “And arguably, you could be making more of a difference not doing that, because I think mutual aid and direct action are the most powerful things we can do.” You can check out Cheap Perfume’s latest singles,”Woke Mind Virus” and “Down to Riot,” on Bandcamp. MUSIC David Grimm (from left), Stephanie Byrne, Jane No and Geoff Brent of Cheap Perfume. MEG HARTUNG Cheap Perfume makes powerful “femme-core” punk. COURTESY CHEAP PERFUME
