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CRITIC REVIEWS
90
Though he may seem like an unknowable phenomenon on the surface, Peck’s appearance simply acts as a welcome mat; his words throughout Pony intensely reflect realities, emotions and experiences tied to what many others have faced.
85
Despite its masked obscurity, it’s the tenderness that wins the fight.
80
Though he doesn’t always bring the hooks to match his ambitious performance, Peck never misses a chance to hook you into his voice.
80
The same fine balance between homage and parody is displayed in the music. As conventionalised as the lyrics, ‘Pony’ is dominated by the country-pop of the 1960s.
80
His talent is as impressive as his ideas are smart and unexpected, and this is one of the best and most fascinating debuts from an alt-country-adjacent artist in a very long time.
80
A brilliant palate cleanser to the vast majority of overblown, raucous and vapid compositions that have taken over the genre over the course of the last three decades or so.
70
There's an ever-crowded field of cowboys (of all genders) making their way through independent music these days, but Peck's striking imagery sets him apart.
EDIT 2 (10/15/19): MASTERPIECE / PERFECT
I know I give a lot of albums really high ratings. I know Pony isn't a masterpiece to most of you. I know some of you consider it kind of boring, and I know that this won't be anyone's favorite country album of all time. But personally...well, you can read the score, as well as the two reviews that preceded this edit. Not only does this keep growing on me, but I think it might be a 10. I'm doing that thing I always do and keeping it at 99 before taking ... read more
Orville Peck's Pony is a surreal cowboy country album lined with drifter lyrics and 80's heartthrob production. It makes for a very unique and enjoyable album, with a sound like if Twin Peaks took place in rural Utah. Sometimes the instrumentation can be a bit sparse for its own good, but overall I'm surprised at how much I'm in the mood for this. A lot of elements involved in Orville Peck give him the stats of a gimmick artist with a novelty album. But a pleasant surprise is it doesn't feel or ... read more
Now this? This is yeehaw music.
The almost classic styled cowboy tinged musical stylings of Dead of Night intrigued and delighted me when I first heard it, and I've always kept my ear out for when Orville Peck decided to release his full album. And, when it did decide to drop...yeah I can see this topping a LOT of end of year lists. It's in the same vain as Julia Jacklin or Hozier, but instead of telling their tales of woe and misfit-ness through indie ambiance or bluesy crooning, Orville ... read more
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Track List
| 1 | Dead of Night 3:59 | 90 |
| 2 | Winds Change 2:59 | 90 |
| 3 | Turn to Hate 4:56 | 90 |
| 4 | Buffalo Run 3:38 | 76 |
| 5 | Queen of the Rodeo 3:17 | 79 |
| 6 | Kansas (Remembers Me Now) 3:35 | 88 |
| 7 | Old River 1:01 | 76 |
| 8 | Big Sky 3:32 | 72 |
| 9 | Roses Are Falling 3:05 | 83 |
| 10 | Take You Back (The Iron Hoof Cattle Call) 3:27 | 81 |
| 11 | Hope to Die 4:29 | 82 |
| 12 | Nothing Fades Like the Light 3:46 | 80 |
Total Length: 41 minutes
Year End Lists
| #10 | / | Clash |
| #20 | / | Chorus.fm |
| #26 | / | Thrillist |
| #39 | / | NME |
| #40 | / | Noisey |
| #69 | / | PopMatters |
| / | The FADER | |
| / | Vinyl Me, Please |
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Added on: January 16, 2019