Peter McPoland, an American vocalist, composer, and instrumentalist, excels at matching candid, emotionally resonant words to crisp, memorable tunes grounded in both vintage and current indie pop while incorporating electronic production accents. Columbia Records signed him, leading to the 2022 release of his first EP, Slow Down, and the arrival of his debut album, PIGGY, in mid-2023. He kept a full schedule the following year by playing live dates in support of the album and issuing the subsequent EP, Friend, near the end of 2024.
Born in Burlington, Vermont, he relocated to Texas at age seven and took up guitar seven years afterward. Immersed in a musically rich home environment, he gravitated toward distinctive voices including John Prine, Mark Knopfler, and Bruce Springsteen, later adding Gregory Alan Isakov and Twenty-One Pilots to his listening. After finishing high school he settled in New York City, where music became his central focus. Early singles such as 2018’s “Lady Bird” and 2020’s “I Love You Too” drew considerable interest, yet the poignant 2021 track “Romeo & Juliet” propelled him toward wider audiences, amassing millions of streams and securing his Columbia contract.
A handful of independent singles, among them the rousing communal anthem “Shit Show,” appeared before his first major-label project. The 2022 Slow Down EP contained seven songs and spotlighted the popular tracks “String Lights” and “News at 9”; he promoted it through numerous sold-out headline concerts and a prominent support slot on Twenty-One Pilots’ arena tour. A stretch of creative impasse ended following a transcontinental drive, yielding the 2023 singles “Digital Noise” and “Turn Off the Noise,” both included on PIGGY. He spent the balance of that year on the road and delivered the live EP Piglet Live in December. The warmer, jangle-pop numbers “Dig Your Man” and “Speed of the Sound (Of You)” were later collected on the EP Friend, issued at the close of 2024.
