“Puberty 2:” The second coming of Peter McPoland

Peter McPoland is a 22-year-old singer-songwriter hailing from the state of Texas. McPoland quickly shot to fame after posting several TikTok song covers, his most well-known being “Levitating” by Dua Lipa and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage.” 

Both covers were done in McPoland’s typical indie-folk style but with different twists — the former becoming a soft lullaby and the latter featuring an accordion. To this day people comment under his new videos asking if he is the “Levitating Man.” 

Fans may also recognize McPoland from his two most popular singles “Romeo & Juliet” and “S*** Show.” Combined, the two songs amassed over 68 million streams on Spotify since their release dates in 2020 and 2021.

McPoland signed with Columbia Records in 2021, and his first EP “Slow Down” debuted on May 27 of last year.

Now, after an eight-month hiatus, McPoland is back with not only new music but an entirely new sound. McPoland’s discography is quite diverse as it is — his earlier music lands in the indie-folk genre and his newer songs take on a strong alternative-indie sound. 

“I had gotten really sick of playing my songs which sucks because that’s a really big part of my job. I also felt out of place with the music. It wasn’t what I was listening to anymore, I guess just cause I’m growing up and changing. Like second puberty — puberty 2,” McPoland said on Instagram. “I really wanted to experiment and make angrier songs because I am angry.” 

For the past several months, McPoland has been teasing his fans with a 30-second snippet of his new song “Digital Silence.” It’s punchy, with a grunge, alternative-pop feel. As he tells his fans, the track is something that completely deviates from what he has been producing.

The announcement of the song’s release on April 7 came in tandem with the announcement of an album coming in the near future — the entirety of which is produced and written by McPoland. 

“If I’d heard this album when I was 14 and learning guitar and starting to write songs, I would’ve lost my mind over it,” McPoland said in the Instagram post. “It feels very me. Just not me that made the stuff you’ve heard.”

One fan in the comments of his Instagram announcement fondly deemed the coming album “puberty 2: this time it’s personal.” Many other fans also expressed their excitement in his comments for not only the new music but for his new sound, as well. 

“You’re literally one of my biggest inspirations so reading this felt like a big ‘ole hug. Thanks, Mr. P,” @chelsey._.austin said. 

McPoland ended his announcement with one final remark to his fans: “No more slowing down, just speeding up. Thank you for waiting for me.”