The mysterious new singer Orville Peck refuses to tell anyone his real name or show his face. He is never seen without a cowboy hat and black-leather Lone Ranger mask covered in fringe, a look that’s old-school country mixed with a hint of S&M. Like Lil Nas X, he identifies as a gay man and is rewriting the rules of country music. So, to celebrate Pride, he picked the perfect song to cover for his entry in the Spotify Singles series: Bronski Beat’s eternal gay anthem “Smalltown Boy.”
His cover gives the song a country flavor, with steel guitar and just enough twang, without losing the new-wave disco energy. It continues a mini-trend Peck has started of gay country covers; a few months back, he performed Willie Nelson’s “Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other” for Sirius XM. Check out both below.
Paradise lost’s cover is so much better