“Why don’t you get it? Can’t you get it? Understand.”
I’ve been enjoying the music of Peter McPoland since 2020 when he released his single “Romeo & Juliet.” Since 2018, his music has varied from slow love songs, to bedroom pop, to folk-pop, to dynamic indie rock. There have been some good albums from his different trials of music genres and some not-so-good singles. As the leg of his tour to Chicago nears, I figured it was only fitting to give my honest review of his top-rated songs on Spotify. These five songs are, “Digital Silence,” “Romeo & Juliet,” “Shit Show,” “News at 9,” and “Slow Down.”
1. Digital Silence
From his new album Piggy, “Digital Silence” is the song that Peter used to announce the new album. “Digital Silence” was released 126 days before the album, so fans, including myself, had plenty of time to listen to and critique this song before hearing the entire album. This was Peter’s debut of his indie rock music, so many people were tentative about how they’d viewed this song and the new album. Personally, out of Peter’s top songs, this is not my favorite, and if I had picked the order of the top 5 rated songs this one would probably be #5. To give this song the benefit of the doubt, it’s a very punchy song that I can blast in my car with the windows down in the summer. This song also serves its purpose of being a headbanger song that Peter can play on tour with fans screaming the lyrics and dancing to the beat.
2. Romeo & Juliet
Peter’s song “Romeo & Juliet” will always hold a special place in my heart. “Romeo & Juliet” is the song that first introduced me to Peter McPoland and his music. This indie love song is written from the perspective of “Romeo,” or the boyfriend in the relationship. The smooth keyboard backing the song gives it a mellow feeling that can calm anyone down. Within the song, there is also an element of Peter being on the phone with a girl with the ringing of the phone and muffled talking between Peter and a girl within the numerous silences in the song. This adds a personal element to the song that all listeners can enjoy. If I could pick where this song goes on the top 5 ratings, I would put this song at #1. Out of every Peter McPoland song, this song is probably my #2, only below the acoustic version of this song because acoustic versions are always better than the original.
3. Shit Show
Honestly, I was worried to put this song in the review because I didn’t know if Mr. Stanicek would allow a swear in my blog, but looking past that, Peter’s song “Shit Show” is far off from its title. Despite not explicitly being a rock artist at this point in his discography, Peter adds a rock element to this song and executes it perfectly. This is about a time in Peter’s life when he felt like he was living in a “shit show” that other people were just spectating as it progressed. Out of Peter’s most popular five songs, I’d have to put this song at either #3 or #4 just because of the other songs it’s up against. “Shit Show” was actually Peter’s second most popular song until the release of his new album Piggy which led to “Digital Silence” knocking it from #2 to #3. All in all, if you need a good new song to scream along with, this would be your song.
4. News at 9
A part of Peter’s first album, “News at 9” showcases Peter’s artistic abilities and natural talent. “News at 9” gives listeners an inside look at Peter’s raw voice and emotion, which is so present you’d have to be hard of hearing to miss. This song is filled with so much emotion and vivid lyricism that the listeners can empathize with Peter’s experience he’s singing about. I would put this song at #2 out of the five songs because of the meaning and emotions tied into the song. “News at 9” is the perfect dynamic song to cry to or rock out to.
5. Slow Down
“Slow Down” is a part of the same album as “News at 9” and is actually the title song of this album. Similar to “News at 9,” “Slow Down” offers a look into Peter’s raw vocals but also offers listeners a chance to hear Peter’s guitar skills, though this song doesn’t fully showcase his full playing abilities. For “Slow Down,” I could write an entire essay just on how this single song connects with so many of Peter’s other songs, which arguably shows Peter’s strong songwriting capabilities. In the album Slow Down, the song succeeding “Slow Down” has a seamless transition from one song to the next, giving the illusion that the two songs are one which is one of the coolest things I’ve ever heard personally. Despite all of this, I would have to put “Slow Down” at #3 or #4 on my own ratings of all five songs, depending on my mood.
All in all, if I could subjectively rank the songs, they would go – 1) Romeo & Juliet; 2) News at 9; 3) Slow Down; 4) Shit Show; 5) Digital Silence. Peter McPoland’s different songs are perfect for just about anyone because of their wide range of musicality and genres and I would recommend his music to just about anyone who’s willing to listen.
This artist appears to be worth visiting his music. You bring out the details of the songs and make the interesting and it develops a nice portrait of the artist Peter McPoland and his music. He sounds like an eclectic artist. Thanks for the insights into the songs. Are you planning on seeing him when he arrives in Chicago? If so, I hope you enjoy the show. Thanks for the post. It was fun to read.
Kayley,
I really enjoyed reading your piece! I always think it’s fun to read reviews. I haven’t heard much of this artist, but after hearing your opinion, I’m definitely open to listening to Peter McPoland. I think it’s cool that one person can produce such a wide variety of music. I liked how you concluded your piece with an overall review – this was a great way to leave the readers with your main point. I also thought that including the album covers was a nice touch. They added a visual element to your piece that brought color and dimension. Despite trying to not “judge a book by its cover,” I always like to look at album covers because I feel that it gives me a sense of what the song will be like. The ones you provided look interesting and fun, and definitely aided you in your case of convincing me to give them a listen.
I am glad to see that you found a music artist that you enjoy and I also like how he is relatively less mainstream. I think it is important to support the so-called “little guys” (small businesses, upcoming music artists, etc.) because sometimes they offer a feeling of connection and uniqueness that a more mainstream artist such as Drake or Taylor Swift might not have. I think it can get a little boring when everyone has the same favorite artist. I’ve always found it sort of satisfying to stand out from the crowd. Encouraging others to explore Peter McPoland could introduce a refreshing musical variety into their lives. It’s beneficial to break the routine and embrace diversity in our musical choices, ensuring a dynamic experience whenever the topic of music arises.