Peter Perrett The Cleansing
Peter Perrett's The Cleansing arrives as a late-career vindication, a record where finality and wry humour sit side by side and the best songs often carry the emotional freight of an artist staring down mortality. Across professional reviews, critics consistently point to “I Wanna Go With Dignity”, “Fountain Of You” and “Less Than Nothing” as standout tracks, while the record's mix of dance-pop/electronica touches and ragged rock drama underscores Perrett's renewed creative resilience.
The critical consensus is strong: The Cleansing earned an 83/100 score across 6 professional reviews, with reviewers praising Perrett's razor-sharp lyricism, personal reflection on addiction and recovery, and a refusal to sentimentalise decline. Publications note the album's bittersweet irony and family collaborations, citing guest contributions and Marr-assisted moments that amplify songs such as “I Wanna Go With Dignity” and “Fountain Of You”. Reviewers agree these tracks work as both intimate confessions and cathartic singalongs, answering questions about the best songs on The Cleansing with frequent, specific praise.
Not all assessments are uniformly ecstatic; some critics flag the double-album scope as occasionally uneven and point to minor missteps amid the triumphs. Still, the prevailing narrative frames the collection as a comeback that balances mortality, empathy and romanticism with surprising vitality. As a result, the record occupies a distinct place in Perrett's catalog: a reflective, often stirring late-period work that critics say is well worth attention and delivers memorable highlights for anyone asking whether The Cleansing is good.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Good Riddance
1 mention
"she manages a perky as well as gorgeously floaty, cathartic, if still bittersweet final track - Good Riddance"— Song Bar
Math Equation
1 mention
"On Math Equation, for example: "You said I needed my own friends / So I found them / Then you fucked them.""— Song Bar
I Wanna Go With Dignity
5 mentions
"the invigorating twin guitar attack of the brilliantly mordant "I Wanna Go With Dignity""— The Line of Best Fit
she manages a perky as well as gorgeously floaty, cathartic, if still bittersweet final track - Good Riddance
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
I Wanna Go With Dignity
Disinfectant
Fountain Of You
Secret Taliban Wife
Solitary Confinement
Women Gone Bad
Survival Mode
Mixed Up Confucius
Do Not Resuscitate
The Cleansing
All That Time
Kill A Franco Spy
Set The House On Fire
Feast For Sore Eyes
There For You
Art Is A Disease
World In Chains
Back In The Hole
Less Than Nothing
Crystal Clear
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 6 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Peter Perrett's The Cleansing arrives as a bruised masterpiece, its best tracks like “I Wanna Go With Dignity” and “Crystal Clear” carrying the album's emotional weight with brutal honesty and warm ragged beauty. The reviewer revels in the invigorating twin-guitar attack of “I Wanna Go With Dignity”, and points to the gloriously warm closer “Crystal Clear” as the endpoint of a hard-won journey. Other highlights such as “Fountain Of You” and “Solitary Confinement” are singled out for timeless romantic ache and Marr-assisted singalong power, showing why listeners ask which are the best songs on The Cleansing. The overall tone is celebratory yet measured, crediting Perrett's razor-sharp lyrics and refusal of bloat as reasons these best tracks stand out.
Key Points
-
The best song, “I Wanna Go With Dignity”, is best for its invigorating twin-guitar attack and brutal lyrical honesty.
-
The album's core strengths are razor-sharp lyrics, emotional maturity, cohesive sequencing, and refusal of double-album bloat.
Themes
Cl
Critic's Take
Everett True writes that Peter Perrett sounds possessive and undimmed on The Cleansing, with songs like “I Wanna Go With Dignity” and “Set The House On Fire” staking claims as the best tracks. He praises the album as dignified and resonant, arguing the record rocks as hard as Perrett’s old classics while remaining startlingly current. The review still spots deadpan wit in “Secret Taliban Wife” and heartfelt slurred longing in “There For You”, making the case that these are among the best songs on The Cleansing. True closes by wondering if this might be Perrett’s best-ever album, noting the record’s experience-drawn rewards without bitterness.
Key Points
-
The opening “I Wanna Go With Dignity” is singled out for rocking as hard as Perrett’s classic work, marking it the best song.
-
The album’s core strengths are dignified, experience-driven songwriting, resilient vocals, and a contemporary sound that avoids mere nostalgia.
Themes
Critic's Take
Peter Perrett sounds like a man surveying the end with clear-eyed wit on The Cleansing, and the best songs - notably “I Wanna Go With Dignity” and “Less Than Nothing” - carry that uneasy mix of morbidity and hard-won wisdom. Petridis’s voice notices the surprise of vitality in tracks such as “Solitary Confinement” and “Survival Mode”, where the music swings and roars even as the lyrics catalogue decline. The record’s standout moments are those where Perrett turns outward in empathy, making “I Wanna Go With Dignity” and “There For You” among the best tracks on The Cleansing by virtue of their narrative care and emotional heft. Overall, the album sounds like a last splurge that still manages to be genuinely great, a rare late-period triumph.
Key Points
-
The best song is the opening “I Wanna Go With Dignity” for its empathetic litany and outward gaze.
-
The album’s core strength is pairing bleak, reflective lyrics about mortality with vital, roaring music.
Themes
Critic's Take
Peter Perrett's The Cleansing is presented as a triumphant, revitalised third coming, with obvious highlights like “I Wanna Go With Dignity” and the title track “The Cleansing” standing out for their narcotic melodies and ravishing rock dynamic. Sterdan's prose revels in Perrett's renewed energy and wider arrangements, noting that the album doesn't just match his best work but expands it. He foregrounds the guest contributions and personal dedications as part of why the best tracks - especially “I Wanna Go With Dignity” - feel both intimate and grand. The review frames these songs as proof that Perrett is in the form of his life, a comeback primed to keep going.
Key Points
-
The best song, “I Wanna Go With Dignity”, is best because of its personal dedication and narcotic, alluring melody that anchors the album.
-
The album's core strengths are Perrett's revitalised voice, expanded arrangements, strong guest contributions, and candid lyrical themes of addiction, aging and survival.
Themes
Critic's Take
In his unmistakable, rueful register Nathan Whittle presents Peter Perrett’s The Cleansing as a sprawling, sometimes uneven double album whose best songs - notably “Disinfectant” and “Fountain Of You” - burn brightest. He writes with a fond impatience, celebrating storming tracks and plaintive ruminations alike while admitting the odd misstep. The review keeps returning to Perrett’s romantic heart, arguing that cuts like “There For You” and “All That Time” showcase his ability to marry intimacy with big, dramatic gestures. In short, the best tracks on The Cleansing are those that balance grit with tenderness, and they make the album’s reach feel justified.
Key Points
-
The best song(s), like "Disinfectant" and "Fountain Of You", pair storming energy with plaintive beauty making them stand out.
-
The album’s core strengths are Perrett’s lyrical romanticism, memorable vocal delivery, and strong collaborative contributions.