In early 2020,Orville Pecks career was starting to take off in earnest.
The isolation-tinged Old West cowboy tropes in his lyrics were starting to feel a little too real.
Even the lone ranger can start to feel a littletooalone.
He retreated to Los Angeles and into a deep depression, convinced he wouldnt make music again.
But losing everything, including crucial industry momentum, can be freeing.
A lot of people obviously get hung up on the idea of a second album or the sophomore slump.
I think leading up to Covid that was on my mind a lot, Peck says.
With the wheels of his career in motion again, Peck is about to head outon tour, too.
And this time, hes fully ready to get back on the horse.
On Anonymity & Honoring His Hometown
CreatingBroncoin lockdown sounds like a really cathartic experience.
Tell me about one song on the new album that youre particularly proud of.
I’m really proud of Kalahari Down.
Kalahari Down is about me being South African and growing up in Johannesburg.
Everyone who knows me knows I’m so proud to be South African.
It’s still my favorite place on the planet.
So I finally feel like I got to write this big homage, a love letter to my home.
Is your perspective on remaining anonymous changing as you continue releasing music?
I think it’s just evolving itself naturally, which is what I always intended it to do.
I’ve always said that I feel like I’m hiding in pain sight.
I’ve never really even thought of myself as anonymous.
And I feel like I’ve been authentic since day one.
So that’s what I’ve always tried to maintain.
When I was a kid, I really wanted to be a doctor or a surgeon.
I’m really fascinated by medical stuff.
I’m kind of OCD and meticulous.
I barely made it through high school, so I definitely wouldn’t have gone to medical school.
But I like the feeling of helping people or healing people.
I probably would’ve gone into medicine.
Is there a genre that you wish you made music in?
But I don’t know anything about those kinds of programs.
I am so analog.
Everyone makes fun of me because I have a car from like 1973.
Everything is so old school.
I don’t know anything about EDM.
you’re free to contribute the vocals and someone else can be on Ableton, or whatever.
Someone will have to be on Ableton, not me.
Whats a song that should play at your wedding and one that youd want played at your funeral?
I’d either want people to be sobbing or dancing.
On Horses, Patti SmithsHorses,& Karaoke
What was the first CD you ever bought?
So maybe it had more of an impact on me than I realized.
Someone pointed that out to me once and I thought it was really funny.
Do you have a go-to karaoke song?
And then I’ll take off and leave them shook.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
This article was originally published onApril 8, 2022
