Kelsie Kimberlin is bottling up emotion, history, and defiance with “Perfume,” her third release of 2025. The American pop artist serves up a song that is intimately personal and brazenly political and has become a touchstone of her evolving artistry.
At first glance, “Perfume” plays out like a sensual daydream, pulling listeners into a soundscape where love is an intoxicating scent. There’s an air of softness, a euphoria, here as she sings about a pull strong enough that words would feel unnecessary. It’s a feeling inspired by her fixation with Patrick Süskind’s "Perfume" The Story of a Murderer, where that novel ventured into grimness; Kimberlin’s retelling subverts the plot, turning "Perfume" into a symbol of magnetic, wordless connection as opposed to manipulation or devastation.
The video itself twists “Perfume” away from a pop confession into a profound territory of a love story that falters alongside images of the devastation wrought by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. With sweeping drone shots and tender close-ups, the visual honors a city that lives, loves, and resists more than ever despite being shut in. A young woman is swaddled in beauty and fragility, gliding through a landscape dotted with shattered buildings and an indomitable spirit. The difference is jarring and deliberate.
In this release, Kimberlin makes an understated but rousing political statement. Instead of shouting, she lets her art tell, building meaning into melodies and allowing room for the listener to interpolate. she explains. You can feel that magic throughout the track.
“Perfume” is an event for the senses, a love letter to resilience, and a lesson that beauty matters even in dire circumstances. Kimberlin keeps carving her lane, part pop princess and part protest poet, and with this release, she’s asking us to breathe it all in.