When country music makes it onto the Top 31, it usually has a hard time being fully classified as “country music.” Phosphorescent, Neko Case, First Aid Kit — in a certain light, these could all be classified as country, but usually aren’t. This is untrue of the obscured and befringed Canadian artist Orville Peck, whose wonderful debut album Pony couldn’t fall into any other genre than Country with a capital “C.” This isn’t “my wife left me, my dog died, and I accidentally got drunk” kinda country, but it does feature rodeos, horseback riding, and a Johnny Cash name-drop in all the right ways.

You may not have heard of Peck, but you’ve likely seen him. His visage is quite memorable; he’s always seen in a lone-ranger style mask with fringe attached and hanging down to his shoulders, fully obscuring all but his eyes and most of his jawline and neck when at rest; atop that he wears a standard-issue, not-quite 10-gallon cowboy hat.

Despite his public-facing disguise, his identity is known, but remains unconfirmed by Peck himself. So I won’t perpetuate the information here. What I can tell you is he’s Canadian, he’s gay, he commands a magical baritone voice, and his stage presence is second to none. The mystery certainly contributes to what I and so many other people like about him, but once you learn the truth of who he is, that doesn’t quell the fervor people feel for him.

I’d been hearing of Peck (which is different from hearing Peck) since the beginning of the year. I found him intriguing, but didn’t scratch that itch until he was on the bill at the inaugural Thing NW music festival. He played to a crowd that sardined itself into the covered McCurdy Pavilion about midway through day 1, and ended up being the highlight for many at the festival. A friend of mine’s 10-year old daughter fell so madly in love, she bought a tee (he’s smoking a cigarette! *gasp*) and then created her own Peck costume for halloween. Such is the charisma of Mr. Orville Peck, winning fans over at all ages.

I trust we’ll have much more to love about Peck in the years to come. We’re just at the tip of the iceberg. Give this album a listen now, so you can say “I was there when…”

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24. Hyperspace by Beck
25. Eraserland by Strand of Oaks
26. Dogrel by Fontaines DC
27. You’re the Man by Marvin Gaye
28. Big Wows by Stealing Sheep
29. 1000 gecs by 100 gecs
30. In the Morse Code of Brake Lights by The New Pornographers
31. Radiant Dawn by Operators

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