Because Orville Peck is making country cool again
Toronto’s most eccentric troubadour is masked and marvellous
The mystery man who goes by Orville Peck performs in rhinestone belts and colourful Nudie Suits, his face obscured by a tasselled bandit mask, like something the Lone Ranger would’ve worn if he’d attended theatre school. Peck did attend theatre school before moving to Toronto and self-producing his debut album, Pony. In a haunting baritone, Peck sang about drifters, truck drivers and cowboy lovers on the run, channelling the alienation he’d felt as a young gay man. The music—a mixture of rockabilly, outlaw country, post-punk and gospel—was dark and soulful and sexy, and it transformed Peck into an icon. He has since ventured where few country stars have gone, performing alongside Harry Styles at Madison Square Garden, recording a duet with Shania Twain and collaborating with celeb drag queen Trixie Mattel. In April, he dropped Bronco, a sophomore record more creative and eccentric than anything coming out of Nashville.
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Simon Lewsen is a feature writer and a regular contributor to Toronto Life, Maclean’s, the Walrus, Report on Business, and the Toronto Star. He writes the monthly City Beat column on art and architecture for Designlines, and he teaches writing at the University of Toronto.
