| Show Pony | |
| Type: | ep |
| Artist: | Orville Peck |
| Cover: | Orville Peck - Show Pony.jpg |
| Alt: | A colorful and crude drawing of Peck's face with a fringed mask and cowboy hat |
| Recorded: | 2020 |
| Studio: | Shania Twain's Las Vegas ranch ("Legends Never Die") |
| Genre: |
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| Label: | Columbia |
| Prev Title: | Pony |
| Prev Year: | 2019 |
| Next Title: | Bronco |
| Next Year: | 2022 |
Show Pony is the first extended play by South African country music artist Orville Peck, and a companion to his debut studio album Pony. Announced by Peck as a bridge between Pony and the next full-length album, it was released on August 14, 2020 by Columbia Records, making his debut major-label release. It received positive reviews from critics.
Initially scheduled for release on June 12, 2020, the extended play was put out by Columbia and Sub Pop the following August 14, to allow more public attention to the George Floyd protests. The release was preceded by a music video for "Legends Never Die", a duet starring fellow Canadian country pop vocalist Shania Twain, as well as by videos for singles "No Glory in the West" and "Summertime".
Peck recorded the songs as a follow-up to his 2019 debut Pony and was inspired by the work of Neil Young and Crazy Horse. He arranged the duet with Twain after the two met at an awards show in 2020 and recorded the song immediately before quarantining due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the duo working on the song at Twain's ranch. In addition to the themes of a rough and hot American Southwest, Peck viewed this release as a bridge between Pony and his next full-length project, re-recording "Summertime" from Pony-era sessions for this EP.
Peck and Twain recorded a live-to-tape performance of "Legends Never Die" for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to promote the release.
. Aggregator Album of the Year summed up critical consensus as an 88 out of 100, based on seven reviews. The A.V. Club staff listed this as one of five noteworthy releases of the week, with writer Cameron Scheetz saying, "Orville Peck's vocal muscle really shines through, staking out a place of his own among the legends that inspired him". Leonie Cooper of NME gave the album four out of five stars for Peck's diversity as a performer, with the "razzle-dazzle" of "Legends Never Die" and more somber and pensive tracks. Allie Gregory's review in Exclaim! was even more effusive, writing that the album solidifies Peck's place as one of country's greats, scoring it a nine out of ten. Similarly, Ross Horton of The Line of Best Fit gave the album an eight out of 10 for pushing the boundaries of country music, writing that Peck is on a "one-man mission to take country out farther into the wilderness that its ever been". Pitchfork Media's Cat Zhang gave a more mixed review, awarding a 6.7 out of 10 and praising the playfulness and depth of Peck's lyrics but noting that his stage persona is too shallow. Daniel Bromfield of Spectrum Culture summed up his review with a 64% and noting that the Peck persona is too flimsy: "his music still preoccupies itself with cowboy bombast rather than the wit, personality and day-to-day poetry that defines the best country music... The man behind the Peck project is beginning to emerge, but he remains more interesting as a myth."
Show Pony appeared on several Billboard charts in the United States, reaching 8 on Americana/Folk Albums, 20 Top Album Sales, 46 on Top Country Albums, and 50 on Top Rock Albums.
All songs written by Orville Peck, except where noted
Credits adapted from liner notes
Technical personnel