Orville Peck – Mule (Album Review)

Orville Peck delivers his rawest record yet with Mule.

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TOP 5

5. Big Ol’ House

Mule begins with a beautiful prologue sung by Emmylou Harris, Noah Cyrus, and Allison Russell, but the first time we hear Orville Peck sing is on “Big Ol’ House.” On the track, he sings about feeling lonely in a big house, surrounded by the ghosts of his memories. While he’s not happy, he’s also not taking any steps to better his situation in this song. This leads into the rest of the album nicely, as Mule’s central theme is recovery from addiction.

The music is absolutely beautiful. Orville’s baritone never ceases to amaze me. While it is a country song, there are indie rock influences that are often present in his music, and they’re utilized well here. I love some good electric guitars.

4. Ring the Bell

“Ring the Bell” is an upbeat song with a fun vibe, but very dark lyrics. It details the reality of Orville’s alcoholism, simultaneously portraying the surface-level fun and the underlying pain with a bit of cynical, dry humor. It follows a song about how miserable he was in rehab, a place where he was trying to get better. The two songs together show the fun/harmful and miserable/helpful juxtapositions.

I love it when artists let themselves be funny, even with dark subject matter. I also love how he references Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run” in the middle in reference to drinking a lot rapidly. Mule can be a heavy listen, so a song like this—as serious as the subject matter itself is—helps to keep the album from being a total downer.

3. The Fall

“The Fall” is a stunning ballad where Orville is encountering someone from his past—perhaps a former lover, perhaps a friend—and begins on a more positive note. It seems like he’s about to have a good experience confiding in someone. However, later in the song, he grows more negative towards their interaction: “it hurt so bad to see you, so please next time keep walking.”

The song doesn’t make it clear why Orville and this individual aren’t in each other’s lives anymore, but he does say that it’s been cold since they parted from each other. In the context of the album, it would make sense if this relationship ended at least partially due to his struggles with addiction.

2. Blue Skies

“Blue Skies” is an outlaw country song about giving up on being happy and accepting the lonely life caused by substance abuse. He’s giving up on all of his lovers and the prospect of blue skies because he feels like he can’t get out of that. He’ll drown unpleasant memories with alcohol and claim that he’s happier alone than with others.

Towards the end, there are sudden distorted guitars that made me jump. I was startled. It was great. The sound worked very well with the moody lyrics and outlaw country sound.

1. Mule

“Mule” is the final track of the record, and it is devastating and hopeful at the same time. He sings about being a “man turned mule,” a man who has been stripped down by trauma and addiction until he is left isolated and exhausted. At the same time, he looks like he’s changed for the better. He isn’t fine, but he’s “coming home.”

After such a heartbreaking and raw record, a song that is both hopeful and honest about how he won’t magically become fine after all of that is the perfect way to close the album. The simplistic instrumentation lets Orville’s emotional and powerful voice shine. I teared up listening to this finale.

SONG BY SONG RATING

Prologue (Eulogy Of A Man Turned Mule) (4/5)

Big Ol’ House (4.5/5)

Already Gone (4.5/5)

Rehab Blues (4.5/5)

Ring the Bell (4.5/5)

Blue Skies (5/5)

The Fall (4.5/5)

Cowboy Heart (4.5/5)

The Breeze, The Grass, The Mourning Dove And Me (4.5/5)

Run Out Of Road (4.5/5)

Too Little, Too Late (4.5/5)

War Of The Worlds (4.5/5)

Mule (5/5)

RGM RATING

(A)

Mule is phenomenal. Orville Peck has somehow managed to make a better album than he ever has, which is saying a lot, because he is an amazing musician. He wrote so honestly about his struggles with addiction, negative experiences in rehab, strained relationships, and opinions about himself, but it never felt like a pity party or a downer. He injected dry humor into a few of the songs in a way that not all artists would feel comfortable doing, and it works.

The album goes through various kinds of country, with influences from indie rock, folk, shoegaze, and more. There was never a dull moment, but there were calm moments. I am so moved by this record and by Orville choosing to share these experiences with us. This is a very vulnerable album that doesn’t always make him look like the hero, but that’s what makes it so brilliant and honest.

I’m not usually the type to say that everyone should listen to a given album, but I can’t think of anyone I know who I wouldn’t recommend it to.