On Mitski's latest album Be The Cowboy, the cowboy image that's classically reserved for American white males is, even though for a fleeting moment, suspended and transferred to the Japanese-American singer-songwriter. According to Mitski, this is part of her mantra, "be the cowboy you wish to see in the world", a joke with herself that she uses to combat feelings of imposter syndrome. Though meant as a joke, it's a kind of joke that digs deep into the firmly rooted notions of masculinity, race and femininity.
For Nevada-based artist Orville Peck, cowboyism is a concept akin to fetishism. The "psychedelic outlaw cowboy who croons love and loss from the badlands of North America" (his own words) appears on the scene donning a leather mask complete with the fringe that covers half of his face, extending all the way down to his shoulders. It's a strikingly unorthodox reinterpretation of cowboys, one that matches his queer identity. And just like Mitski's joke, the title of his debut LP, Pony, invites us to think deeply about masculinity -- is he still a cowboy if he chose a pony instead of a stallion?
Despite the provocative, convention-challenging image, the music that Peck makes remains largely under the country umbrella. Lead cut, Dead Of Night, is a full-on Americana offering with lyrics detailing "another dreamless night" and "stark, hollow town" where "we laugh until we cry". In fact, the majority of the record (Buffalo Run, Queen Of The Rodeo, Old River) revolves around these evocative scenes and cowboy imagery, the traits that would have turned it into just another vapid country album had it not been for Peck's producing skills.
Pony's most memorable moments come in the form of yearning ballad Hope To Die and the barn-stomping Turn To Hate, which deals with his anxiety of feeling like an outsider and the strength it takes to rein in the burgeoning resentment deep within. "Walking out towards the gate/ You'll all be stars, now just you wait/ Done enough to take the bait/ Don't let my sorrow turn to hate," he croons in the timbre that confidently straddles Morrissey, Brandon Flowers and Kirin J Callinan.
Quotable lyrics: "Left my mind in the Salt Lake City/ Met a lot of men who would call me pretty/ Pack of reds, watch the dames get colder/ Don't it make you cry, how we're getting older?" (Winds Change)
The verdict: If you must be the cowboy, be one like Orville Peck.
Listen to this: Dead Of Night, Turn To Hate, Roses Are Falling, Hope To Die.
THE PLAYLIST
Teho Teardo / London Offered Us Possible Mothers
Having composed a handful of film scores and soundtracks (and won awards for them), Italian musician Teho Teardo knows a thing or two about crafting the sound design that complements the narrative. Exploring one of the most visceral human emotions, his latest work accompanies Enda Walsh's theatre adaptation of Max Porter's book Grief Is The Thing With Feathers, featuring Irish actor Cillian Murphy. Post-rock-leaning lead track London Offered Us Possible Mothers starts off with isolated cello notes that crescendo into a menacing sonic decay. Then, out of the blue, guitar strumming seeps into the mix, mingling with a swell of violins while simultaneously juxtaposing with the jarring double bass. Unfathomably dark, yet hopeful, not unlike grief itself.
Ciara / Thinkin Bout You
Ciara returned last year in that viral, internet-friendly way with Level Up, a high-energy jam that spawned an online dance challenge in which everyone and their mothers seemed to be participating. This year, she's following it up with Thinkin Bout You, an effervescent, thoroughly pop-oriented number that could easily pass off as a Carly Rae Jepsen track. "I've been thinkin' bout you/ Wonderin' who's stuck in your head at night," she sings. "I've been thinkin' bout you/ I try to fight it but it's hard to fight." Both Level Up and Thinkin Bout You will appear on her forthcoming seventh studio album Beauty Marks, her first since 2015's Jackie.
Sky Ferreira / Downhill Lullaby
It's hard to believe it's been seven years since Sky Ferreira's breakthrough cut Everything Is Embarrassing made it to our Top 15 Singles of 2012. And even though she went on to drop her debut album Night Time, My Time the following year, six years is still ages, especially in the indie music scene where relevancy reigns supreme. With that said, she's back at it with comeback single Downhill Lullaby, a goth-pop ballad that wades the same murky waters as much of Lana Del Rey's discography. "You ripped me open, then you kissed me/ Blue lips and roses that you left me," she drones alongside spine-chilling strings. "The gag and the bind, the perfecting of the rush/ Yeah, I walked with the fire."
Lighthouse Family / My Salvation
"When you say a prayer, does anybody hear?/ Can anybody tell me the reason we're here?" Lighthouse Family vocalist Tunde Baiyewu begins on My Salvation, the duo's first single in nearly two decades. And just like the uplifting, soul-pop chart-toppers they've built their career on in the 90s, the track will wash over you like a warm rain. "Does anyone care for people at all?/ Does anyone care for anyone? Will you be my salvation?" Baiyewu implores in the same soothing voice from way back when. Set to release in May, their forthcoming fourth LP, Blue Sky In Your Head, will also include their earlier hits such as Lifted, High, Lost In Space and Postcard From Heaven.
Dara Rasmi / I'm a Train
New band of the week this week goes to Dara Rasmi, the Bangkok-based four-piece made up of Stylish Nonsense's Wannarit Pongprayoon, filmmaker/guitarist Tokin Teekanun, cellist Nontaphat Chuenwarin and drummer Warawut Saising. Inspired by scenes of travelling trains in old Thai movies, their debut single I'm A Train blends super lo-fi garage with a shade of psych-rock. The end result sounds like an impromptu jam session coming from a garage next door. "Chue chue chue/ Chue chue chue," goes the chorus emulating the sound of the train, acting as a metaphor for life and human endeavours.
