USA
Petey / USA / 2023 / Capital Records 602458929874
Some Record Store Day’s go exactly as planned - you show up early, get the limited copies you’re seeking, and head home to spin them in smiling bliss. Other times it does not and there’s a few on your list that elude you no matter what you do. After discovering Petey a couple months ago, I have become obsessed with both Lean Into Life and USA. I quickly noticed on Petey’s Instagram that USA would be having a RSD release on black smoke vinyl for 2024 and I needed it. Unfortunately I could not find it on April 20th after hitting up two different shops at opening, but thankfully through the power of the internet you can just order those leftover copies from shops where nobody wanted them on Discogs!
USA is a rock/electronic emo record I wasn’t ready for - it’s overwhelmingly honest, sonically addictive, and refreshing. It’s one of those records that I had an epiphany after first listen. I see it as a snapshot of where we (millennials) are currently in this wild country. Songs like I’ll Wait touch on having panic attacks when you’re trying to fall asleep or you’re out at the grocery store - “I’ll wait, I’ll wait for the moment to pass” - while following track I Tried to Draw a Straight Line is about being anxious as we over-analyze “life” around us - “Well I think I feel enlightened. I feel this weight off of my chest. It’s not my fault, it just happened. I can flip around my eyelids. Scare the shit out of my kids made of a trillion little atoms. Oh I haven’t even had them. Do I deserve to have an imprint on a child, on an infant? Fuck, I can’t even imagine”. At its base, these songs musically are four-chord beauties. But they are littered with layers of electronic droning, glorious synthesizer tones, and midwest-emo vocal charm from Petey. Living Like This is an electronic focused track written prior to Petey’s fame - the “what if?” of never achieving what you truly want - “Will I ever really get it together before my hands grow cold and stiff? The thought of dying ain’t bad, yeah the sad part is living like this”. Following track Family of Six continues the pop trend while speaking on familiar album themes - “Remember when they told ya it gets better when you’re older. Well for now I still feel like a kid. Cause if ya never showed me Bambi, I could breathe instead of panic. I’d provide for a family of six”. The Freedom to Fuck Off is a straightforward track that really encompasses what this record is about in a pent up, progressive punk song - “Cause I went to college, and I like the beach. And I love to hate my country, man, I wanna bite the hand that feeds me. So I’ll pack up my stuff and leave forever. And I know misery loves company, so let’s fuck off together”.
USA was written and produced by Petey, Aidan Spiro, and John Debold. Petey is an emotional music project from Peter Martin who originally gained fame on TikTok during the pandemic for his comedy sketches. He currently has 1.5 million followers on the platform. The “RSD First” Puff Sullivan Edition LP is 1/1000 pressed on black smoke vinyl with an unreleased bonus demo included. The Audiotree Live session of Petey performing in November of 2023 can be viewed here.
