Philadelphia psych rocker and folksy singer-songwriter Kurt Vile has released the first single from his upcoming ninth album (watch my moves), entitled “Exploding Stones”. The tune is available via all streaming services, and the album, which is set for release on April 15th on Verve Records, can be pre-ordered here. It has also been confirmed that Vile will be embarking on an extensive US and European tour, commencing in Norfolk, Virginia on April 26th. You can view the video for “Like Exploding Stones”, which features Sun Ra Arketsra’s James Stewart, at the link below.
“Like Exploding Stones” is a slow burner, clocking in at around seven and a half minutes, and carries with it that familiar, gentle melancholy that oozes from Vile’s sound, in particularly harkening back to 2013’s Wakin’ On A Pretty Daze with its shimmering backing synths and lethargic, effects-laden guitar parts. Vile is a master of crafting songs that inhabit an emotional landscape that is never overtly depressing, but is perhaps best described as “wistful”, sometimes featuring lyrics that deal with darker subjects such as dissociation and anxiety, but from an “I guess that’s how life is sometimes” angle rather than a morose, hopeless one.
(watch my moves) will be Vile’s first full-length album since 2018’s Bottle It In, and his first new collection of songs since 2020’s Speed, Sound, Lonely KV, which featured two original tunes entitled “Dandelion” and “Pearls”, as well as a cover of Cowboy Jack Clements’ “Gone Girl”, and perhaps most importantly, covers of “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness” and “How Lucky” by the late, great American singer-songwriter John Prine, to whom the E.P. is dedicated. Prine himself features on “How Lucky”, a truly classic cut from his discography. You can listen to the song at the link below.
The upcoming album was produced at Vile’s new home studio “OKV Central” with the help of long-time collaborator Rob Schnapf, and the addition of his band mates from The Violators, as well as special guests Chastity Belt, Cate Le Bon and percussionist Stella Mozgawa of Warpaint. Vile said of the upcoming record, according to a press release: “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.”
The track list, which includes fourteen original songs and a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Wages of Sin” can be seen down below.
1). Goin on a Plane Today
2). Flyin (like a fast train)
3). Palace of OKV in Reverse
4). Like Exploding Stones
5). Mount Airy Hill (Way Gone)
6). Hey Like a Child
7). Jesus on a Wire
8). Fo Sho
9). Cool Water
10). Chazzy Don’t Mind
11). (shiny things)
12). Say the Word
13). Wages of Sin
14). kurt runner
15). Stuffed Leopard
The European leg of Vile’s tour commences on August 26th in London. Tickets can be purchased here, and you can view the UK dates down below.
26/08/2022- All Points East Festival- London
27/08- Forum- Bath
28/08- Stylus- Leeds
29/08- QMU- Glasgow
30/08- Vicar Street- Dublin
02/09- Moseley Folk & Arts Festival- Birmingham
03/09- Manchester Psych Fest- Manchester
04/09- End of the Road Festival- Dorset
