Years after the release of ‘Bronco’, Orville Peck's newfound comfort leads to collaborations that he has wanted to do. ‘Stampede’ might not exactly carry the showstopping flair of his last project, yet there is a great quality to be found within this collection of splashy duet cuts that can still stand alongside his best songs from past records.
Ever since Orville Peck juggalo-ed with exceptional country cuts on ‘Bronco’, a lot of things have changed for the better as he manages to become have more confidence as a person - hence why he removes the fringes from his mask - as well as becoming more recognized in certain sections of queer pop culture, eventually leading him to pop up in a Trixie Mattel show or being able to at least meet the influences that he has looked upon for years. And those influences are something that he eventually doubles down within his newest record, ‘Stampede’, with a focus on stacking collaborations with other artists that either swivel into country wheelhouse or those who may be outside of that, but are still willing to make something remarkable with Orville Peck. Flooring the record with 15 songs that are filled with covers and original songs alike.
It starts things off within a weaker, albeit decent first half where some of the songs should land much better than what they have, a flaw that spills through either what the song is approaching, the production that cleans things a bit too much, or performances that could have sparked more. Although there are a few cuts that worked such as the collaboration with Midland on ‘That Hurtin’ Kind’ where their effective vocal synergy paired with the gleaming melodic progressions allow that romantic desire despite post-heartbreak ache to stick, as well as the smoky touches on ‘How Far Will We Take It?’ where Noah Cyrus’ Lana Del Rey-esque tones work well with Orville Peck that let the melancholic tenderness of the song to feel more grippingly sad, the rest just stumbles quite a lot. Whether that be the cover of ‘Saturday Night’s Alright (For Nothing)’ with Elton John where despite its upbeat tones, the instrumentation just don’t carry the spark of its original article, the rather dated albeit tender queer tones that came from the cover of ‘Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond Of Each Other’ with Willie Nelson where his craggy vocal don’t exactly blend well with Orville Peck, the misspent chance to give ‘Death Valley High’ more ruckus as Beck and Orville Peck just slings along the muddy mixing of the strong amidst melodies that just doesn’t go to a higher terrain despite the horn lines added in, the sorrowful yearning of ‘Back At Your Door’ with Debbii Dawson where the melodies across the keys and shuffling grooves don’t really lead to an intriguing compositional highlight, and the attempt towards a smoldering intoxication of ‘Chemical Sunset’ with Allison Russell stumbles more than it sticks the landing, especially as the production towards those muffled horns, weaving strings, and stomping grooves don’t exactly work as a result.
Once it does start moving towards the backhalf, this is where a lot of the album’s highlights shine the brightest, with a lot of the varied sonic ideas and collaborations carrying more quality - with the exception of the lo-fi scuzz of ‘Conquer the Heart’ with Nathaniel Rateliff that don’t exactly let the melodies become conquering within its need to charge into that love of their life. The galloping latin grooves within ‘Miénteme’ where Bu Cuarón’s delightful vocals work alongside Orville Peck as the passionate romance despite whatever trouble comes along is effectively executed, the phenomenal cover of ‘Papa Was A Rodeo’ from The Magnetic Fields where Molly Tuttle’s vocals and banjo playing is just a striking aspect amidst the plucky instrumental details and remarkable harmonies that makes the cover become excellent, the surprising collaboration with Diplo & Kylie Minogue on ‘Midnight Ride’ where that slick midnight disco is well made - especially as Kylie Minogue’s vocals are an alluringly soft fit that harmonizes well with Orville Peck and Diplo’s production gives the songs a lot of bounce and swivel to the melodies, that anxious loneliness that Orville Peck and Teddy Swims emphasizes extremely well on ‘Ever You’re Gone’ with the emotive backing vocals, the soaring instrumental sections, and especially both vocalists singing their entire heart out, the gloriously hilarious kiss off between Margo Price on ‘You’re an Asshole, I Can’t Stand You (and I Want a Divorce)’ where pockets of twiddling guitars and keyboard notes adds to the sunset drenched headscratch of the song as both artists do create remarkable chemistry with their voices, the nostalgic reflections on ‘Where Are We Now?’ with Mickey Guyton that lends her sharp vocals amidst the sweeping melodies and catching up to Orville Peck’s vocal power - giving the song its fitting theme of reflecting upon the past and seeing the growth that they have within the present, and the striking cover of ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’ with TJ Osborne, Waylon Payne, and Fancy Hagood that ends the record splendidly as the strings and keys add a cinematic charm amidst the potent instrumental melodies, and of course, the vocals that are consistently strong as ever.
It may be easy to scoff ‘Stampede’ as a bit of a comfortable pace for Orville Peck, yet there is still glimmer that is showcased within the record as a lot of the songs do careen through with their differing set of ideas and collaborations. It might start rather weak and it might not go into the splendid flair that Bronco’ has pulled off, but there is a quality that starts to become excellent once it gets going, leading to a collection of covers and original cuts that work together as a whole. The stampede has its rough edges, but it does smoothen out as it goes, allowing the shining grace of that warm light to spill through vividly.
Favorite Tracks: ‘The Hurtin’ Kind’ ft. Midland, ‘How Far Will We Take It?’ ft. Noah Cyrus, ‘Mienteme’ ft. Bu Cuaron, ‘Papa Was a Rodeo’ ft. Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, ‘Midnight Ride’ ft. Kylie Minogue & Diplo, ‘Ever You’re Gone’ ft. Teddy Swims, ‘You’re an Asshole, I Can’t Stand You (and I Want a Divorce)’ ft. Margo Price, ‘Where Are We Now?’ ft. Mickey Guyton, ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’ ft. TJ Osborne; Waylon Payne & Fancy Hagood
Least Favorite Track: ‘Chemical Sunset’ ft. Allison Russell