Orville Peck channels the ghosts of country past in his new Americana-strewn video for “Dead of Night.” “Dead of Night” was taken from the upcoming album Pony, which will be released via Sub Pop on March 22nd. “Dead of Night” was directed by Michael Maxxis, and shot on location in Nevada at the legendary Chicken Ranch brothel (the real-life inspiration for The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas), and features many of the ladies who work there.
Combining the lulling ambiance of shoegaze with the iconic melodies and vocal prowess of classic American country music, outlaw cowboy, Orville Peck croons about love and loss from the badlands of North America. The resulting sound is entirely his own. He takes the listener down desert highways, through a world where worn out gamblers, road-dogs, and lovesick hustlers drift in and out of his masked gaze.
Orville’s debut album, Pony, delivers a diverse collection of stories that sing of heartbreak, revenge and the unrelenting tug of the cowboy ethos. Warm lap steel guitars and echoing drums move through dreamy ballads and sometimes near frantic buzzsaw tunes – all the while paying homage to his country music roots.
On the campfire lullaby, “Big Sky,” Orville sings about his past lovers – an aloof biker, an abusive boxer and an overly protective jailor in the Florida Keys – and the inevitable demise of each one, as he leaves them for the wide open, big sky.
Meanwhile “Turn To Hate” finds Orville struggling to keep his resentment from building into hatred. A continuous battle between embracing the strength and freedom of being an outsider, and the inevitable struggle of wanting normalcy and familiarity. It encapsulates Orville’s dilemma as a cowboy. He sings about having to constantly repair situations in his wake, and fighting with himself over his decision making. To stay or go; to cry or not; whether to leave without saying goodbye in order to soften the blow; All the while wishing someone would tell him that they “can’t stay,” and to make the decision for him.
And “Buffalo Run” acts as a warning, a song built around the imagery of stampeding buffalo in the badlands of the Northern Plains. It’s one that begins peacefully enough but soon transcends into a kinetic charge that crescendos as the buffalo are headed off the cliffside.
Pony was produced by Orville Peck, recorded and mixed by Jordan Koop at The Noise Floor on Gabriola Island, British Columbia and mastered by Harris Newman at Grey Market Mastering in Montreal, Quebec.
Pony is now available for preorder through Sub Pop Mega Mart and Royal Mountain Records. US preorders of the LP through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers will receive the limited Loser edition on yellow with orange swirl vinyl (while supplies last). A new t-shirt design will also be available. Additionally, European and UK LP preorders of Pony through select independent retailers will receive the limited Loser edition on Gold vinyl (while supplies last).
See Orville Peck live:
Feb. 28 – London, UK – Islington
Mar. 01 – London, UK – Servant Jazz Quarters
Mar. 02 – London, UK – The Shacklewell Arms
Mar. 04 – Paris, FR – Supersonic (Free Show)
Mar. 05 – Haldern, DE – Pop Bar
Mar. 06 – Berlin, DE – Auster-Club
Apr. 11 – Ottawa, ON – The Dominion Tavern
Apr. 12 – Montreal, QC – La Sala Rosa
Apr. 13 – Toronto, ON – The Great Hall
Apr. 25 – Philadelphia, PA – The Boot & Saddle
Apr. 26 – Brooklyn, NY – Zone One @ Elsewhere
Apr. 27 – Baltimore, MD – Metro Gallery
Apr. 28 – Richmond, VA – The Camel
Apr. 30 – Pittsburg, PA – Andy Warhol Museum
May 01 – Lakewood, OH – Mahall’s
May 02 – Detroit, MI – Lager House
May 03 – Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle
May 06 – Columbia, MO – The Blue Note*
May 07 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Criterion*
May 08 – Austin, TX – The Mohawk
May 09 – El Paso, TX – Lowbrow Palace*
May 10 – Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theatre*
May 11 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre*
May 12 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren*
May 13 – Los Angeles, CA – The Moroccan Lounge
May 15 – San Francisco, CA – Cafe Du Nord
May 17 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
May 18 – Seattle, WA – Barboza
May 19 – Vancouver, BC – The Wise Hall
* w/ Lord Huron
