Pick of the Week: Orville Peck, Beck, “Death Valley High”

Orville Peck is an up-and-coming artist whose career demands celebration. After his last album, Peck took a break as he focused on preparing the best version of his artistry that he can, which resulted in the culmination of Stampede.

By Ren Gibson, Staff Writer

SOMETHIN' NEW

Orville Peck has been periodically dropping singles in anticipation of the upcoming second installment of the album Stampede. He wanted the focus here to be on duets, stating in the announcement that this album was a project that he made with “a few of his best friends.” The first volume came out in early May, featuring many collaborations with some WERS favorites, such as Alison Russel, Kylie Minogue, and Willie Nelson. 

His latest single - a collaboration with artist Beck - is nothing short of something that you would find on one of Peck’s albums. Yet, as much as it sticks to the guns of Orville Peck’s past releases, it is a rather new sound for the artist, who mostly focuses on Western and folk-inspired sounds. ‘Death Valley High’ is a welcome addition to Orville Peck’s catalog as a long-time fan. Known for blending country and folk music with other genres, Orville Peck’s exploration of classic, mid-century American funk is a surprise I would not have expected from this album. 

VEGAS LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION

One of the most common motifs that Orville adopts from the genre of country music at large is geographical imagery. ‘Death Valley High’, as the name suggests, represents two different aspects of West Coast nightlife: the literal temperature, of course, and the adrenaline high that comes with it. The lyrics are filled with classic references to the city of Las Vegas and allusions to the romances that are expected to come from Vegas. “Dust devils drinking warm Colt 45, take a walk and cruise the strip at night,” Peck sings as the song starts, welcoming the listener to the fantasy of the Vegas strip. 

Beck’s verse on the song ups the charm with lyrics that are just nonsensical in the best way. Peck’s lyrics invite him into the song, as his quickly-paced verbiage fits perfectly with the high-energy motifs of ‘Death Valley High’. Once again, despite how far the song strays from how the listener may imagine a country song, Beck reminds listeners that he’s merely experimenting with the limitations of the genre itself. He references plenty of classic Americana facets that are common to the genre of country, such as NASCAR, drinking, and of course, blackjack. 

In the music video that was released to accompany the song, Peck and Beck, dressed in silky disco-cowboy outfits, turn into high rollers for the two-minute run of the music video. With a nod to Elvis with their names in lights, the punchy beat makes way for the real star of the show: the classic Las Vegas aesthetic. It’s fun, funky, and fresh, and explores a new identity of the cowboy life that Peck hasn’t quite reached with his past albums yet.