“Perfume” is about an ex who the singer misses whilst still being close with, and becoming jealous when she starts to move on – which causes him to develop a bitter attitude towards his desired person and their new boyfriend, although it doesn’t seem like her new relationship will succeed. The song’s rock beat includes the electric and bass guitars' lines playing simutaneously at a moderate tempo.

“Perfume” was first revealed on June 12, 2021, on band frontman Wilbur Soot’s Twitch channel as a snippet with unfinished lyrics. Band member Ash Kabosu also teased it in his September 2021 vlog, where Wilbur performed “Perfume” on the omnichord and revealed new lyrics to the first verse. Later, on October 2021, Wilbur played the song on the omnichord again.

The song was briefly removed from Pebble Brain but Minecraft streamer and Wilbur’s friend, TommyInnit, persuaded the band to keep it on the final release.

On the day of the song’s release, Genius released an article breaking down each part of the song.