Stream: Petey, ‘We Go On Walks’

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Petey (Photo by The Wills)

Petey is at it again, but maybe there isn’t much to say this time. The L.A.-based Chicago transplant reaches beyond his ever-growing joke-laden TikTok to unveil another single from his forthcoming debut album, “Lean Into Life.”

Petey is something of a salvation for folks raised on the likes of early 2000s emo pop-punk. Recalling teenage years bathed in Modest Mouse, Jimmy Eat World, Death Cab For Cutie, Blink-182 and more is typically shrouded in shame and spoken in whispers, but Petey blows the door right back open to embrace the formative music of a generation.

“‘We Go on Walks’ is a fun song I made mostly on my computer,” Petey explains. “It’s about going on a walk with a friend but you don’t really talk about anything, but it’s still nice and necessary.” The song may seem lackadaisical, but it’s deeply authentic both in production and subject matter. An aggressively repetitive synth leans into Petey’s Kanye inspirations, tempered by soft piano chords and a hollow electro breakdown. Petey’s typical manic singing is well-balanced by soft spoken existential poetry as he sings, “I’m too afraid to live / but I’m still scared to death of dying.”

It’s not Petey at his weirdest, but “We Go On Walks” leaves the listener feeling humbled and pensive. “Lean Into Life” will be released on Sept. 3 via Terrible Records and is now available for pre-order digitally and on vinyl.

||| Stream: “We Go On Walks”

||| Previously: “Lean Into Life,” “California” and “Haircut” (with Miya Folick)