MXDWN | SXSW 2021 Wednesday Review: The Reverend Peyton Debuts a New Song While Enola Gay, Great Peacock & More Make The Best of a Strange Position
Nashville-based Americana troupe Great Peacock were warmer, with a sated, contemplative setlist plucked from their recent album, Forever Worse Better. The opening track, “All I Ever Do,” was hard to read, as frontman/guitarist Andrew Nelson and guitarist/harmonist Blount Floyd navigated a range of dark emotions from optimism to stubborn anger found in the trenches of almost-love. “Tell me there’s a reason / Standing in the way / I’ll keep on believing until I go insane,” Nelson narrated with somber, eviscerating vocals. “High Wind” offered a faithful, existential optimism, complemented by the nostalgic sound of the pedal steel, a Nashville staple played by instrumentalist Adam Kurtz. Floyd traded his guitar for the banjo on “Strange Position” — and though the lyrics delved back into an intricate mindset, a playfulness surrounded its mid-to-up-tempo beat and Nelson’s kickback, meditative new outlook.