Philadelphia’s own folksy psychedelic rocker Kurt Vile has released the third single from his forthcoming full-length album, a song entitled “Mount Airy Hill (Way Gone)”. The unveiling of the tune brings us ever closer to the impending release date of Vile’s highly anticipated new album (watch my moves) which will drop on the 15th of April via Verve Records. You can listen to the new song on streaming services or at the link below, and you can pre-order the new album here.
“Mount Airy Hill (Way Gone)” follows along from Vile’s two previous singles “Like Exploding Stones” and “Hey Like A Child”. The two prior releases felt like a warm and welcome return to some of the sonic landscapes that Vile inhabited on his 2013 album Wakin’ On A Pretty Daze, and this gorgeously wistful new tune hammers home that same feeling once again. Led by a warm analogue synth, a lethargic guitar arpeggio and shimmering slide guitar, Vile paints a picture of a laid back yet melancholy day spent on a long walk.
(watch my moves) was recorded largely at Vile’s newly built studio OKV Central in the Mount Airy neighbourhood of Philadelphia, and produced alongside long-time collaborator Rob Schnapf, who previously worked with artists such as Elliott Smith. Vile said of the new opened studio, according to a press release: “When Waylon Jennings became an outlaw country artist, he liked to record at Hillbilly Central, which was Tompall Glaser’s studio… 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.”
Vile’s upcoming album will feature fourteen tracks, including a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Wages of Sin”. A recent press release describes the album as: “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.” A complete track list can be viewed 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
Vile will also be embarking on an extensive US tour in celebration of the release of (watch my moves), and will also be embarking on a European run shortly after. All ticket information can be viewed here.
