I Reviewed Orville Peck’s “Show Pony” The Second It Dropped
Samantha Colleran, August 2020
I’m back with another Orville Peck post, and today highlights his brand new EP titled Show Pony. Last week I spoke about his debut album Pony, and in an Instagram post leading up to the release of the EP, Orville said that Show Pony is “both a look back into the past and a peek into the future. It’s the ‘middle sister’ record y’all”. He wrote, produced, and played on the majority of the EP, which is extremely impressive. Not only that, but he had the Shania Twain as a feature. Today’s post is a little different than my others, it’s not ‘formally’ written. I stayed up to listen to Show Pony the second it dropped, and I’m giving you all my initial thoughts after only one listen with no repeats and no pauses. These are my completely candid and speedily typed out thoughts, with no edits or changes. Let me know your thoughts on Show Pony and this style of review in the comments!
1. “Summertime”
(Note that this is a single from the EP, I listened to it once or twice before but I’m listening to it for the first time in a few months). This is the perfect way to open the EP. Has a “Dead Of Night” feel and shows the transition from Pony to Show Pony. There’s a little “doo doo doo” in the background that’s slightly higher than the other instruments that caught my ear towards the end of the chorus. The lyric “They punish those who love young” stood out when listening. “Keep on rockin’ baby, keep on risin’ on the tide” stood out as well. The harmonies and backing vocals are just… wow! The way he says “all night” and draws it out a little bit is just gorgeous. The banjo is such a nice touch. The instrumental break is really pretty. “I miss summertime”.
2. “No Glory In The West”
(Note that this was another single before the EP was released, but I didn’t listen to it, tonight was my first time). Soft, acoustic start. Orville’s voice shines through on this one; there’s no fancy instrumentals and is kept extremely simple. “Shoot to win can feel so bittersweet” is one of the lyrics that stood out the most to me. Another guitar was just added, Orville’s voice still shines through. “Nowhere left to go, going’s all we know”. This song definitely showcases how versatile Orville’s voice is, there’s a lot of different note changes and you can really feel the emotion. The stopping of the instruments when he sings “Don’t place your bets on a word that they say/ They’ll put your life to rest” hits really hard.
3. “Drive Me, Crazy”
Piano, something different for an Orville track. Absolutely love the stereo of the instruments (the guitar in the right ear). The addition of other instruments was sudden but appreciated. “You put up the cards just to watch them fall”. Only a minute or so in but I can already tell this is one of my favorite songs of his. The simplicity of the drum kicks layered with the piano… perfect instrumentation. “Never thought I’d learn to love the snow”, strangely heartbreaking. “Said it was you and me ‘till we die… buckle up and drive me”, I absolutely adore these lyrics! There’s a bit of a classic rock sounding guitar during the instrumental break which is always a good thing. “You shift on the gear/ It’s been a long year”, such a relevant lyric and plays on the imagery of driving. Spoken outro sounding as though it’s from a car radio, love it.
4. “Kids”
A bit more twangy, but still great. “Starry boots and open eyes”, I can picture this so clearly, feels like a movie scene. “Targets on our backs each day”. I love how simple this song is. The repetition of the line “Neither one of us has died” feels nostalgic in a way? The guitar progression in this song twists at my heart in a really weird way. It’s very nostalgic. Brief bongos? This song feels like a reflective number on childhood and growing up. Simple yet so strikingly beautiful. Like I said before, this song could easily be on a movie soundtrack.
5. “Legends Never Die” ft. Shania Twain
You can feel the Shania influence less than two seconds in this song. Her voice is gravelly and so perfect. The grit of Shania and the classical training of Orville’s voice fit so perfectly. Orville’s voice does feel a bit more gritty in this song, I absolutely adore it. “Another blow ain’t gonna stop me”. The most pop country sounding song on this album but I dig it. “Taking orders has never been my style”, these two know how to stand up for themselves, they don’t take crap from anyone. The electric guitar in this song is epic. Yep, Shania’s still got it. The thing I love about this collaboration is that it doesn’t feel as though one is trying to overpower the other, Shania and Orville share the spotlight and it’s everything.
6. “Fancy” (Reba McEntire cover)
(I won’t lie, I wasn’t familiar with the original until about an hour before the release of Show Pony. I did listen to it once through so I was familiar with it, but for the sake of this post I’ll obviously be focusing on Orville’s version). Already, I can tell I love this version more (sorry Reba). The note Orville hits when he sings “It was red velvet…” gave me chills. I love how it’s slower than the original, it feels so suspenseful. The instruments are added slowly, one by one, it keeps you on the edge of your seat. This rework feels very theatrical, you can actually focus on the story the lyrics cover and feel the emotion in the lyrics and in Orville’s voice. The instrumental break!!!! There it is!!!! It’s big and powerful and unexpected. I love how it’s left until the very last few moments of the song, it leaves you wanting more. A great way to end the EP, it feels like the perfect segue into a future album.
Show Pony is now available to stream on all streaming platforms.
Well Samantha, I always enjoy reading your posts and this is one is no exception. In terms of the style, I like the off the cuff, as it happens commentary and where there are portions of the post where you can tell you are doing that, most of it is similar in nature to your other posts. It is evident that whether it is speedily typed or planned out, your intense passion and love of music shines through in your writing. Keep churning them out!