Orville Peck is turning up the heat, and the flirtation, in a new promotional video for his latest EP, Appaloosa. The openly gay country artist shared a short clip on Instagram this week featuring actor and fitness favorite Zane Phillips, who appears shirtless, sweaty and fully leaning into Peck’s unmistakable brand of queer cowboy sensuality.
The video, styled like an intimate workout encounter, opens with Peck approaching Phillips, whose torso glistens as he wipes sweat from his neck. With his trademark masked mystique and dry drawl, Peck asks, “So you like to work out?”
Phillips responds casually: “Yeah.”
Peck presses on, his tone unmistakably flirtatious: “You work out a lot, huh?”
“I don’t know,” Phillips says with a shrug. “Like, most days.”
Peck nods approvingly. “Nice. Do you listen to music when you work out?”
Phillips nods again. Peck follows with the final question: “What kind of music do you listen to?”
Phillips doesn’t miss a beat: “Country.”
The exchange feels equal parts gym-floor meet-cute and classic cruising fantasy, a playful, slow-burn flirtation that ends just as Peck’s new track “Drift Away” begins to play. The song is the second track on Appaloosa, which dropped earlier this month across all major streaming platforms.
The singer paired the video with a cheeky caption on Instagram: “Nothing comes between me and my Appaloosa.” Fans quickly filled the comments with equal parts laughter, thirst and appreciation for Peck’s ongoing marriage of country aesthetics with unapologetically queer desire.
Peck, who has long pushed the boundaries of modern country music, continues to lean into the genre’s rich visual language, horses, denim, sweat, grit – but filters it through a proudly queer lens. His previous visuals and performances have blended vintage Americana with leather-bar camp, making him one of the most distinct voices in contemporary country.
Phillips, known for his breakout roles in Fire Island, Glamorous and various fitness-focused social media posts, is a fitting partner for Peck’s playful vignette. The actor’s growing presence in pop culture has made him one of the community’s most recognizable heartthrobs, and his appearance in this teaser only reinforces that status.
Appaloosa is now available to stream everywhere.
