Kurt Vile & The Violators

Acclaimed musician, songwriter and producer Kurt Vile will release his highly-anticipated new album (watch my moves) April 15 on Verve Records—his first in partnership with the label (pre-order). In advance of the release, the album’s first single, “Like Exploding Stones” is out now.

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.” 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).

In celebration of the album, Vile and The Violators will embark on an extensive U.S. tour this spring followed by a lengthy summer European run. Shows include All Points East on 26th August and Manchester Psych Fest on 3rd September. Tickets for the newly announced U.S. and European headline shows go on-sale this Friday, February 18 at 10:00am local time. 

(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.