Orville Peck - “Bronco” Album Review
The third and final chapter of Orville Peck’s project called “Bronco’’ is a fusion of what Peck tends to do, mixing country with contemporary sounds.
The queer country star, famous for remaining incognito throughout his career, released his third body of work in just four months. In this album, the American singer fails to create an exciting new sound as he explores nostalgia, heartbreak, and sadness in 15 tracks.
Peck started the album with the single “Daytona Sand,” a groovy and upbeat country track, where Peck introduces this sound that defined “Bronco”.
The last single from the album, “The Curse of the Blackened Eye,” is a signature tune for Peck, as he combines his classic twang with his deep voice. Singing about being in an abusive physical relationship, this metaphor illustrates the mental and physical damage of said relationship.
“It's true, true it follows me around, nothing to lose,” the American country singer sings about being haunted by trauma and the ghost of his previous relationship. This song is vital to understanding this album, as it describes heartbreak and Peck’s pain accompanied by his signature sounds.
Peck begins to lose his creativity with tracks like “Outta Time,” an insipid acoustic ballad that sounds like it came from a Nickelback album. Followed by “Lafayette,” this upbeat folk tune does not stand out instrumental or lyrically, as it follows the same pattern as Peck’s songs. Singing about losing someone, this song has an improved vocal delivery from Peck.
“Temple Out the Days” is another example of Peck’s continuous, unexciting musical pattern in “Bronco.” This ballad — lead by electric guitar — shows Peck’s impressive register, with belting he’s never done before.
Continuing his pattern of ballads, “Let Me Drown” is the saddest song on the album. Singing about searching for something and feeling helpless, this piano song accompanied by violins is a more enjoyable tune where Peck encapsulates sadness with both his vocals and instrumentals.
Towards the end of the album, Peck sounds his strongest, with two folk songs, “City of Gold” and “All I Can Say.” Taking inspiration from Townes Van Zandt, he delivers more solid vocal performances with guitar arpeggios.
In the final song, “All I Can Say,” Peck sings softly with country artist Bria Salmena, making this his strongest song on the album. Both voices fuse beautifully, with the alto and soprano sounds creating a soothing and melancholic atmosphere.
This album was Peck’s least exciting work to date. Known for combining exciting sounds with his classic country twang, this album failed to showcase this innovative sound he constantly brought to the contemporary country scene. Not only did this album sound like a lackluster Florida Georgia Line project, but it failed to connect instrumentation with lyrics. Throughout the album, beautiful lyrics were lost due to the boring and expected instrumentation.
Hopefully, Peck focuses on either refining his country sound or sticking to what brought him to fame—his dark and mysterious take on country.
Rating: 4/10
Reviewer’s Favorite Song: “All I Can Say”
Reviewer’s Least Favorite Song: “Outta Time, City of Gold”
Fernanda Lopez is a first year majoring in telecommunications. To contact her, email lfl5339@psu.edu
