Orville Peck - Stampede Vol. 1

From a curling cloud of dust, a symphony arises. It’s one of stomps, groans and sheer force that blooms from a distant shudder into an earth-splitting quake. With a stampede comes undeniable proof that there is power in numbers, which is why Orville Peck recruited some star-quality companions for his latest project, Stampede Vol. 1.

The masked troubadour’s third record – and the first installment of a multi-part duets collection – begins as many stampedes do: everything awash in an impenetrable calm. Opening with the Willie Nelson-backed ‘Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond Of Each Other,’ Stampede is, at first, sweeping and spacious. Bright strings warm the airy rendition of the Ned Sublette classic like the caress of a high-hung sun.

From there, the album begins to heat up with the Midland-assisted ‘The Hurtin' Kind.’ The sensually sashaying offering, with its moaning steel and enticing rhythm, is intense and desperate, full of sweltering harmonies and fervid words. It makes for a rousing number to provoke the wild rush that follows. Tracks like Elton John’s ‘Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)’, a scorching reimagining featuring the Rocket Man himself, and ‘Miénteme,’ a heroic Spanish-language offering starring Bu Cuaron, rattle the record with the power its name promises.

Much like its namesake, though, Stampede is more than just its brute strength. Songs like the sinister apocalyptic waltz ‘Chemical Sunset’ with Allison Russell and the thundering Nathaniel Rateliff-aided serenade ‘Conquer The Heart’ lend to the awe-inspiring displays galloping across the entire album.

All of Stampede is a brilliant show of power and skill, but it’s one that dies out a little too quickly. The release’s meager seven tracks leave the heart longing for more and the ear trained to that familiar rumble in the distance as we await the next Stampede.

9/10

Orville Peck’s 2024 project, Stampede Vol. 1, is available May 10 via Warner Records.

For more on Orville Peck, see below: