Masked cowboys are, by definition, not great with vulnerability. Orville Peck has spent the majority of his career shrouded in mystery; it wasn't until last year that the incognito country singer showed his face publicly and revealed his true identity — Daniel Pitout — ahead of his Broadway debut in Cabaret. Even then, one might argue, he was simply dropping one character in order to step into another.
Perhaps that's why it felt so out of the blue when, just days after kicking off his Bronco album tour at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in June 2023, Peck abruptly scrapped the remainder of his scheduled performances and announced in an Instagram post that “I have to take this time to replenish my mind and body so that I can come back stronger and healthier than before, in order to do what I love for many years to come. I truly hope you can understand.” Fans wouldn't find out until three years later that the night before that fateful performance in New York, Peck — distraught over a breakup and in the throes of addiction — had attempted to take his own life via an intentional overdose.
Mule, Peck's fourth studio album, is an unflinching look behind the mask, detailing his struggles with substance abuse, his subsequent stay in rehab and, ultimately, his sobriety. (This November, Peck will be three years sober.) It's his most personal record by far, and it's also his strongest effort to date.
