★ ★ ★ ★ out of 5
Country music has always felt geared toward a particular audience. An audience that might reside in a certain area, carry certain political beliefs, distance themselves from certain music genres. However, with the recent success experienced by newly out and proud Lil Nas X, the country genre is becoming much more colorful and inclusive.
Enter Orville Peck, the hunky, masked cowboy persona who injects queer aesthetic and perspective into his own brand of robust country music. While today’s country hits represent relationships with whiskey and tractors, Peck instead chooses to shine the spotlight on his failed relationships and loneliness, giving a voice to the often-invisible demographics.
With the March release of debut album Pony, the mysterious Peck channels Lana Del Rey and She & Him for theatrical storytelling that includes chapters on love, heartbreak, self-image and revenge. Preceded by standouts “Dead of Night” and “Turn to Hate”, the artist delivers his take on the country genre while incorporating elements from others such as alt-pop and rock. In the end, the consistent, 12-track effort leaves a lasting impression, one many may not have expected.
Album opener “Dead of Night” does a tremendous job summarizing the effort’s overall sound and purpose, with tambourine-tinged production and a low, brooding vocal performance from Peck. Detailing the unrequited love of two hustlers travelling through the desert, the artist looks back fondly on the young affair, while ignoring other potential flings casually walking by.
“Winds Change” plays as an extension of its predecessor; however, it appears Peck might be the reason for the relationship’s end this time around. “Had a lover but I lost my patience, gonna get a song on a radio station,” the artist cheekily sings of his motives, acknowledging that he was moved more by the heartache than he ever was with his significant other.
Peck contemplates his own image as a country music outsider on “Turn To Hate”, where anxiety builds over his choice to remain a loner. Though he celebrates being an outcast, the artist works to not let the somber associated feelings develop into something unhealthy. The artist tampers down the resentment with New Wave guitar and an infectious chorus, elements that authentically blend in with the country twang.
By using imagery of a stampeding herd, “Buffalo Run” continuously builds and builds as said stampede approaches an unknown, likely unpleasant end. Meanwhile, Peck incorporates cowboy aesthetic and his own splash of queerness to force the peaceful intro to sprint toward a sound more urgent and consequential. Certainly one of the more thrilling moments on the album.
Nothing good lasts forever. On “Queen of the Rodeo”, Peck sings of living in the moment, while coming clean about the moment soon ending. The glitz and glamour are distractions from the true pain, the royal title is not permanent and will not protect from reality. “You're ridden out with nowhere else to go, you know the tune so the words don't matter, beyond this town lies a life much sadder,” Peck belts on the chorus.
“Old River” acts more as an interlude before Peck begins to sing of past lovers and failed relationships on “Big Sky”. The biker, the boxer, and the jailer each make a lasting impression on the artist before he’s forced to leave them all behind. “Heartbreak is a warm sensation, when the only feeling that you know is fear,” he sings of the mixed feelings associated with completely giving yourself to another.
Peck sings of more consequences that come with falling in love. On “Roses Are Falling”, the artist finds pleasure in both the good and bad times. Through a gorgeous and delicate vocal performance, Peck enjoys the freedom of being single again yet cannot shake the image of his former lover while on the run. While the lover brings out the worst in him, he is enamored and stimulated by the devil.
Whistling and gunshot sound effects open “Take You Back (The Iron Hoof Cattle Call)”, a kiss-off track aimed at another former lover. “Can you hear the horses, baby?, stronger than an iron hoof, but this town has always bored me, and baby, that's including you,” he sings with spite on the second verse, before making it clear he expresses no regret in not giving them a second chance.
“Hope To Die” is unfortunately where that relationship regret surfaces though. Peck creates a soundscape of beauty and Grand Ole Opry imagery and production to long for a day when he still had his lover by his side. His pleas for reconciliation are carried to soaring heights by a dramatic and emotional vocal performance, casting a shadow of despair over the album’s consistent confident tone.
The album closes out with “Nothing Fades Like the Light”, a curtain call ballad. The somber effort brings to mind “I’m Going Home” by Tim Curry in substance not sound, where Peck bows and gives the audience one final peek behind the mask. He acknowledges his faults, prides himself for his perseverance, but understands when the journey is over and he has to pack up and leave.
Pony is filled to the brim with references to traditional country music and imagery of the genre's more iconic artists and sounds. Peck incorporates the likes of rattlesnake sound effects and nods to Johnny Cash to help tell his own stories of queer love, complete with angst and uncertainty. While many may be skeptical of the mask, viewing it as just a gimmick, stories of not fitting in and resentment towards the traditional will allow the audience to fully understand its true purpose. Peck hopes his stories will give voice to those forgotten. Masking that voice will allow listeners to see themselves behind the fringe. Peck is ultimately singing for them. This may all be an incorrect interpretation, it certainly wasn't obvious, but one must believe the artist doesn't really care.
Tracks to Hear: "Dead of Night", "Queen of the Rodeo", "Roses Are Falling", "Take You Back" and "Hope to Die"
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