How a duet album with friends helped Orville Peck return to music

Last summer, Orville Peck had to send a message to his fans that broke his heart: 

"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," he wrote on Instagram, cancelling the remainder of his tour and stepping away from music to focus on his mental and physical health. 

After what he describes as "a lot of self-care, self-discovery and downtime with my partner and dog" in the months since, he started to feel ready to return. But it was when legendary country musician Willie Nelson asked Peck to join him on a cover of Ned Sublette's country classic "Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other" that the Canadian country singer realized a duets album would be the perfect project to ease him back in.

"It's something I always wanted to do and was sort of just waiting for the right time," Peck told CBC Music while in the midst of a new tour that runs through the end of October. "Willie asking to duet kind of kicked the idea into motion."

Peck, who was born in South Africa and raised in Canada, released his debut album, Pony, on Sub Pop Records to critical acclaim in 2019, earning a spot on the Polaris Music Prize long list and a Juno nomination for alternative album of the year. He was introduced as the first openly gay country artist to get signed to a major label, and after showing the world his show-stopping baritone and punk heart, Peck's star kept rising: his 2020 EP, Show Pony, featured a duet with Shania Twain, and his 2022 sophomore album, Bronco, was also longlisted for Polaris, and this time earned a Juno nomination for country album of the year. 

For Stampede, which will be out Aug. 2, Peck needed something other than a solo project.

"I really set out to try to work with a diverse group of artists from different genres so that I could collaborate [on] a 50/50 blend of my style and theirs," he said. "I wanted to challenge myself and step outside my comfort zone."

This led to some unexpected collaborations, such as the country-disco single "Midnight Ride" with Kylie Minogue and Diplo, plus the horn-laden "Death Valley High" duet with Beck — not to mention a cover of Elton John's "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting," a duet with the songwriter himself.

For most of his collaborations on the album, Peck worked with friends and folks he knew personally. "Which is wild to say because some of them are artists I've admired my whole life," he added.

'If Nick Cave and Nina Simone had a country baby'

If you ask either Montreal-raised folk artist Allison Russell or Nashville-based country musician Margo Price how they first met Peck, a familiar name pops up: Willie Nelson. They both met the country singer at Nelson's 90th birthday party in April 2023, and within a year Peck was in touch about collaborating. 

"Willie is the root of so much good in this world," Peck said, when asked about Nelson's constant presence in his album's story. "He also always encourages younger artists and includes them in his touring and concerts. He's the realest one out there."

Peck texted Russell in December 2023, with a few prompts: "I feel like something slow, slinky and swampy could be amazing as an original. Like if Nick Cave and Nina Simone had a country baby," she relayed over the phone, reading from their early conversation.

Russell worked with Dim Star (the duo of her husband, JT Nero, and his brother, Drew Lindsay) on ideas for the song and sent them to Peck, who worked with co-producer Christopher Stacey on his side of things. The result is the musical-ready, folk-noir single "Chemical Sunset."

"It's definitely a tongue-in-cheek song and it's a little darker, obviously, and it's a little bit of apocalyptic-y kind of noir ideas being played with it in this song," Russell said. "But also that notion that we still show up for each other, no matter how dire it might be."

When Peck asked Price if she had any songs in mind for their collaboration, she had one on the back burner that she thought might work — and it eventually became the delightful "You're an Asshole, I Can't Stand You (And I Want a Divorce)."

"That one was actually inspired by a real-life fight that I had with my husband," Price explained, laughing. "I was mad at him one morning at breakfast and I said, 'You're an asshole, I can't stand you and I want a divorce.' And he said, 'You should write that song.' That was like, nine years ago." (Price and Jeremy Ivey, her husband and collaborator, have been married since 2008.)

Amidst the slide guitar and verses being traded back and forth, Price and Peck take a conversational break to volley insults at each other: "I can't even understand you with that thing on your face," Price stings, as Peck lobs back, "Margo, you sure do take the 'o' outta 'country.'" Their comedic timing is impeccable, and it draws the song into more traditional country territory.

"That part was definitely Orville's idea, to have that kind of conversational piece in the middle that was reminiscent of Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty, and some of the banter and the comedy that they would do during live shows and on recordings," Price said.

"We wanted to just be throwing insults at each other to give the feeling of this married couple bickering," Peck later added. "There are so many outtakes of us saying wild shit to each other." 

On Stampede, Peck is as close to unmasked as he gets: his trademark physical mask has gotten smaller, and he's wearing his (figurative) heart on his sleeve. It's a pitch-perfect re-introduction for a country singer who's really just getting started, and a way for him to show us the people he treasures — and the sounds he both owes thanks to, and aspires to.