Kurt Vile

Born in Lansdowne on the outskirts of Philadelphia, Kurt Vile first came up in the home-recording scene before emerging in the mid-2000s with a songwriting style that blends indie rock, folk rock, lo-fi and gentle psychedelia. After co-founding The War on Drugs with Adam Granduciel and playing on the band’s early releases, Vile quickly refocused on his solo work, backed live and in the studio by the Violators. His early albums—Constant Hitmaker (2008), God Is Saying This to You... (2009) and Childish Prodigy (2009)—established a relaxed yet precise sound of dragging guitars, oblique melodies and a near-spoken vocal. With Smoke Ring for My Halo (2011), Wakin on a Pretty Daze (2013) and B'lieve I'm Goin Down... (2015), he honed a contemplative strain of American rock nourished by folk, country and extended electric improvisation. His discography later expanded into different formats and collaborations, notably Lotta Sea Lice (2017) with Courtney Barnett, Bottle It In (2018), the EP Speed, Sound, Lonely KV (2020), partly marked by a dialogue with John Prine’s universe, followed by (watch my moves) (2022) and the EP Back to Moon Beach (2023). Kurt Vile continues to cultivate a flexible, introspective and often wandering register closely tied to the Philadelphia scene.