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Orville Peck returns with his deeply vulnerable new album, Mule, which chronicles the masked country singer's sobriety journey, after overdosing three years ago.
It's a visceral project, with Peck once again highlighting that he's not afraid to get candid with his listeners as he opens up about his split from his partner of four years, the subsequent wild nights and blackouts, and his decision to clean himself up and get sober.
The narrative alone would be enough to make for a gripping listen, but Peck packages up the often haunting tales and dark subject matter with bright, infectious melodies and uptempo instrumentation. ‘Already Gone’, for instance, which documents his initial skepticism upon entering rehab, explores one of the most challenging periods in Peck's life - but sonically, it's an undeniably fun, playful earworm.
It captures the fact that, at the heart of Mule, is the idea of being a paradox. Peck has spoken about feeling out of place as a queer South African artist in country music, with the ‘Pony’ hitmaker connecting with mules, which are half-horse, half-donkey. As well as touching on his sense of being a black sheep of modern country, it also tackles the dichotomy of his stage persona and the man behind the mask.
Mule is an enchanting and wonderfully variegated listening experience, with Peck showcasing his versatility, as he flits from the old-school country of ’Ring the Bell’ to the pop-infused wit of ‘Cowboy Heart’. The lows in this evocative story are undoubtedly intense, but this only makes the highs feel that much more exhilarating.
Serving as Peck's fourth project and his follow-up to the widely lauded Appaloosa in 2025, Mule feels like the ‘Dead of Night’ crooner's most complete record to date.
What is perhaps most refreshing throughout is how Peck isn't afraid to incorporate his multitude of influences, with numerous songs on this project feeling decidedly country - arguably more so than much of today's mainstream Country Radio - while others introduce Peck's love of musicals, particularly through his delivery.
Mule is all about one man's evolution from the depths of despair, heartbreak and self-destruction to a newly hopeful and joyful state of mind. But at the same time, we still feel as though we're getting the same experimental, idiosyncratic and boundary-shifting Peck we first fell in love with on Pony back in 2019 - just a version of him that feels a little more mature, and a little more comfortable with himself.
