Warner Records schedules Orville Peck album Mule for September release
The masked country artist returns with his first record since 2022, signaling Warner Records' continued investment in genre-blending acts following his Broadway debut.
Warner Records will release Mule, the new studio album from Orville Peck, on September 18. The record marks the singer’s first full-length project since the 2022 release of his previous album, Bronco.
The announcement arrives alongside the lead single, Too Little, Too Late. The track was produced by Jay Joyce and co-written by Peck, Semisonic’s Dan Wilson, and Grammy-winning producer Steve Rusch.
Peck, known for his theatrical country style and signature fringe mask, is pivoting back to recorded music after a successful Broadway run. Last year, he played the Emcee in the stage production of Cabaret. The transition from stage to studio marks a significant shift in his public profile.
For Warner Records, the September release represents a strategic late-summer entry in its music catalog. The label is positioning Peck as a crossover act, leveraging his recent theatrical exposure to drive commercial performance for the autumn season. This approach allows the company to maximize revenue streams across touring, merchandise, and recorded music.
The thirteen-track sequence opens with Prologue (Eulogy Of A Man Turned Mule) and closes with the title track, Mule. The full tracklist also includes Big Ol’ House, Already Gone, Rehab Blues, Ring The Bell, Blue Skies, The Fall, Cowboy Heart, The Breeze, The Grass, The Mourning Dove And Me, Run Out Of Road, and War Of The Worlds.
The lead single blends doo-wop, swing, and traditional country influences, drawing on suede smooth croons and Buddy Holly comparisons. It shares a title with a 2006 JoJo hit, though the two songs are entirely different. It is unclear if Peck is a fan of the 2000s R&B singer, but the release coincides with the twentieth anniversary of her track.
Austin Peters directed the visual accompaniment for the single. The project highlights the continued commercial viability of niche, genre-bending artists in the modern music market, demonstrating how major labels are diversifying their rosters beyond traditional pop formats to capture distinct audience segments.
