Kurt Vile – “Bassackwards”
Kurt Vile’s proven to be one of the more prolific songwriters of this generation, with seven tremendous albums under his belt before the age of 40. In 2017, Vile teamed up with Courtney Barnett on a collaborative album, Lotta Sea Lice, that showcased the two riffing off of one another’s loose, lackadaisical styles. His last proper full-length, 2015’s b’lieve i’m going down, saw Vile as an observant narrator equal parts droll and distraught. It was a pretty spectacular collection of blissed-out folk songs, and since then, he’s been touring and recording across the map. Not to mention the fact he’s opened for Neil Young, acted on Portlandia, and–the highest accolade of all–been an answer on Jeopardy!
We’ve been suspecting that Vile was up to something for a while now. Back in August, he released a new single called “Loading Zones” that humorously boasted about his illegal parking strategies in Philadelphia. This was a few months after his longtime label, Matador records, teased fans with Vile ’18 campaign signs, but kept their lips sealed on any further details. Today, he’s back to announce his forthcoming album, Bottle It In, with a new monster of a jam called “Bassackwards.”
“Bassackwards” is a nine-plus-minute loping opus that shifts the Philly rocker’s role from storyteller to subject as we get the chance to see the world through Vile’s eyes. “I was on the ground circa Planet Earth, but out of sorts,” sings Vile in his familiar wise-talking drawl. “But I snapped back, baby, just in time to jot it down.” Like the greats that came before him, Vile writes songs that can make you laugh or cry — sometimes at the same time.
This particular track was recorded with Shawn Everett at the Beer Hole in Los Angeles. However, Bottle It In comes with a whole host of credits including Kim Gordon, Mary Lattimore, Stella Mozgawa, Barbara Gruska, Vincent Nudo, Cass McCombs, Joe Kennedy, and Farmer Dave Scher, among others. Below, listen to “Bassackwards,” check out the full tracklist for Bottle It In, and behold an extremely long slate of tour dates.
TRACKLIST:
01 “Loading Zones”
02 “Hysteria”
03 “Yeah Bones”
04 “Bassackwards”
05 “One Trick Ponies”
06 “Rollin With The Flow”
07 “Check Baby”
08 “Bottle It In”
09 “Mutinies”
10 “Come Again”
11 “Cold Was The Wind”
12 “Skinny Mini”
13 “(bottle back)”
TOUR DATES:
10/12 – Hamburg, Germany @ Grünspan ^
10/13 – Gothenburg, Sweden @ Pustervik ^
10/14 – Oslo, Norway @ Rockefeller #
10/15 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Bern #
10/16 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Vega #
10/18 – Berlin, Germany @ Huxleys #
10/19 – Munich, Germany @ Muffathalle #
10/20 – Zurich, Switzerland @ X-Tra #
10/21 – Lyon, France @ Epicerie Moderne #
10/22 – Barcelona, Spain @ Apolo #
10/23 – Madrid, Spain @ Teatro Barceló #
10/25 – Lisbon, Spain @ Lisboa Ao Vivo #
10/26 – Porto, Portugal @ Hard Club #
10/27 – Bilbao, Spain @ BIME Festival #
10/28 – Bordeaux, France @ Theatre Barbey #
10/29 – Paris, France @ La Cigale #
10/30 – Brussels, Belgium @ Autumn Falls @ AB #
11/01 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso #
11/02 – Köln, Germany @ Kantine #
11/03 – Groningen, Netherlands @ Take Root Festival
11/05 – Brighton, UK @ Concorde 2 #
11/06 – London, UK @ Shepherd’s Bush Empire #
11/07 – London, UK @ Shepherd’s Bush Empire #
11/08 – Bristol, UK @ St Philips Gate #
11/09 – Birmingham, UK @ The Crossing #
11/10 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall #
11/11 – Leeds, UK @ 02 Academy #
11/13 – Glasgow, UK @ SWG3 #
11/14 – Dublin, Ireland @ Vicar Street #
11/15 – Belfast, UK @ The Limelight #
11/24 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues *
11/28 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel *
11/30 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club *
12/03 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse *
12/05 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Jones Assembly *
12/06 – Austin, TX @ ACL Live at The Moody Theater *
12/07 – Dallas, TX @ Canton Hall *
12/09 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park *
12/11 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern *
12/12 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theatre *
12/14 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom *
12/15 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre *
12/16 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom *
12/19 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue *
12/20 – Madison, WI @ Sylvee *
12/21 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall *
12/22 – Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre *
12/29 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia %
02/14 – Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground +
02/15 – Montreal, QUE @ Mtelus +
02/16 – Toronto, ONT @ Danforth Music Hall +
02/19 – Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre +
02/20 – Cincinnati, OH @ Taft Theatre +
02/21 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue +
02/22 – Louisville, KY @ Headliners +
02/23 – Bloomington, IL @ Castle Theatre +
02/24 – St. Louis, MO @ Pageant +
02/26 – Omaha, NE @ The Slowdown +
02/27 – Kansas City, MO @ Truman +
02/28 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre +
03/01 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot +
03/02 – Phoenix, AZ @ TBD
03/03 – Las Vegas, NV @ House Of Blues +
03/05 – Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre +
03/06 – Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf +
03/08 – New Braunfels, TX @ Gruene Hall +
03/09 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall +
03/10 – New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theatre +
03/12 – Orlando, FL @ The Beacham +
03/13 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution Live +
03/15 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn +
03/16 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium +
03/17 – Richmond, VA @ The National +
04/15 – Sydney, NSW @ Enmore &
04/16 – Wallongong, NSW @ Unibar &
04/17 – Canberra, NSW @ ANU &
04/18 – Byron Bay, NSW @ Byron Bay Bluesfest
04/20 – Byron Bay, NSW @ Byron Bay Bluesfest
04/22 – Melbourne, VIC @ The Forum &
04/27 – Adelaide, SA @ The Gov &
04/28 – Perth, WA @ Rosemount Carpark &
^ denotes w/ Meg Baird (solo)
# denotes w/ Meg Baird & Mary Lattimore
* denotes w/ Jessica Pratt
% denotes w/ The Feelies
+ denotes w/ The Sadies
& denotes w/ RVG
Bottle It In is out 10/12 on Matador Records. Pre-order it here.
