This article is a mess!
First, there is the obviously incorrect statement "The bonding of electrons to protons to create the first atoms during an era of the universe called the era of reionization also meant free electrons were no longer endlessly scattering photons," (Reionization is the separation of electrons from neutral atoms.)
But, more to the point of the article, it basically says that axions don't clump together except when they clump together to form "axion stars" and that axions don't interact with regular matter (except by gravity) unless they are in an axion star that explodes. Nothing is said about how those things are supposed to occur in those circumstances without occurring in other circumstances. And nothing is said about how any perturbations detected in the CMBR can be logically assigned to these "axion stars" in exclusion of other potential explanations.
In short, this article fails to transmit anything of scientific merit to its readers. How about explaining some of these unexplained assertions?