Petey

Petey (born Peter Martin) is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer who combines introspective and transformative lyrics with a spirited amalgam of indie rock, emo, punk, and electro-pop. In 2020 he began posting a popular series of absurdist alt-comedy sketches on his social media channel, and in 2021 he issued his debut full-length effort, Lean into Life, followed two years later by USA.
Born in suburban Detroit and raised in Chicago, Martin moved to Los Angeles in 2014 after attending college in New Orleans. Inspired by artists like Death Cab for Cutie and Modest Mouse, he inked a deal in 2019 with Terrible Records and released the EPs Checkin’ Up on Buds, High Life from the Bottle on the Beach, and Car Practice. Forced into isolation with the rest of the world in 2020 and unable to tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Martin channeled his creative energy into a series of alt-comedy videos that helped earn him nearly a million followers. In 2021 Petey released his debut long-player, the ebullient and life-affirming Lean into Life, which included the singles “We Go on Walks,” “Don’t Tell the Boys,” and the propulsive title cut. A couple of non-album singles, “Big Bad!” and the Phony collaboration “Kaleidoscope,” appeared in 2022, after which Petey began teasing his next full-length. Throughout the front half of 2023, he premiered songs like the energetic “I’ll Wait” and the slow-burning “Did I Mention I’m Sorry” ahead of his follow-up album, USA. ~ James Christopher Monger