New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Acclaimed musician, songwriter and producer Kurt Vile's new song, "Hey Like a Child," is out today. The song is the second unveiled from Vile's highly-anticipated new album, (watch my moves), which will be released April 15 on
Verve Records-his first in partnership with the label (pre-order).
Recorded mainly at OKV Central-Vile's newly created home studio in the Mount Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia-(watch my moves) was self-produced along with help from longtime collaborator Rob Schnapf (Richard Thompson, Elliott Smith). "When
Waylon Jennings became an outlaw country artist, he liked to record at Hillbilly Central, which was Tompall Glaser's studio," Vile shares. "OKV Central is my version of that in Mount Airy. I've come into my own here, and at the same time I'm getting back to my home-recording roots."
The new song follows last month's release of the album's first single, "Like Exploding Stones," of which NPR
Music praises, "Listening to Kurt Vile's 'Like Exploding Stones'...is like falling down the rabbit-hole. Through the song, you're treated to the surrealistic, psychedelic mind and sounds of his trippy universe...It's magical and meditative," while Pitchfork declares, "Vile's limitless charm and languid drawl have a way of making even the heaviest affliction seem bearable, if not a low-key hoot."
Across the record-which includes 14 originals as well as a version of Bruce Springsteen's "Wages of Sin"-Vile pulls his talents in unexpected directions. The result is a vibrant, yet meditative album propelled by his trademark laid-back charm and curious spirit. Every lyric has been chiseled down into an aphorism, every bloom of distorted guitar or murmuring synth helping create that "fried" pop. "It's about songwriting. It's about lyrics. It's about being the master of all domains in the music," he says. "I'm always thinking about catchy music, even though it's fried, or sizzled, out. It's my own version of a classic thing-it's moving forward and backward at the same time."
In celebration of the new music, Vile and The Violators will embark on an extensive U.S. tour this spring followed by a lengthy summer European run. Upcoming shows include Nashville's Ryman Auditorium on May 1, L.A.'s Theatre at The Ace Hotel on May 12, two nights at New York's Webster Hall on June 1 and 2 and two nights at Philadelphia's Union
Transfer on June 3 and 4 among many others. Visit his website for a complete list of tour dates.
In addition to Schnapf, Vile's longtime band, The Violators, and
James Stewart, the album features special guests Chastity Belt, Cate Le Bon and percussionists
Stella Mozgawa (Warpaint, Courtney Barnett) and
Sarah Jones (Hot Chip, Harry Styles).
(watch my moves) is Vile's ninth solo full-length studio album and first since 2018's Bottle It In, which Rolling Stone named #9 on their "50 Best Albums of 2018" list praising, "The long-haired poet-king of Philadelphia surveys his realm in high style on this 78-minute whopper...virtually no one else was making rock records like this..." Additionally, The New York Times calls him, "indie rock's charming riddle," while The Guardian praises, "such an instinctive facility for melodic logic that behind the shaggy locks and purple haze, there's a clear-headed, big-hearted songwriter at work."
In addition to his solo work, Vile has collaborated with numerous artists including John Prine, Courtney Barnett, The War on Drugs, The Sadies and more and is featured on last year's compilation, I'll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to The
Velvet Underground & Nico.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Vile currently lives in the Mount Airy neighborhood with his wife and two daughters.
