Kurt Vile – “Like Exploding Stones”

Kurt Vile – “Like Exploding Stones”

It’s been three and a half years since we’ve gotten a new Kurt Vile album. His last, Bottle It In, came out back in October of 2018. He followed that with the Speed, Sound, Lonely KV EP in 2020, and thanks to last year’s news that he’d signed to Verve, we knew another album was in the works. The wait is coming to an end. Kurt Vile’s major label debut is called (Watch My Moves), and it’s out in April.

Vile mostly recorded the album at his home studio, OKV Central. “When Waylon Jennings became an outlaw country artist, he liked to record at Hillbilly Central, which was Tompall Glaser’s studio,” Vile said in a statement. “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.” The album features guests including Sun Ra Arkestra’s James Stewart, Chastity Belt, Cate Le Bon, and both Warpaint’s Stella Mozgawa and Hot Chip/Harry Styles’ Sarah Jones on percussion.

(Watch My Moves) features 15 songs, including a cover of the Bruce Springsteen deep cut “Wages Of Sin.” “It’s about songwriting. It’s about lyrics. It’s about being the master of all domains in the music,” Vile said of the album. “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.”

Along with the announcement, Vile has shared a lead single called “Like Exploding Stones.” It comes with a video featuring James Stewart. Check it out below.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Goin On A Plane Today”
02 “Flyin (Like A Fast Train)”
03 “Palace Of OKV In Reverse”
04 “Like Exploding Stones”
05 “Mount Airy Hill (Way Gone)”
06 “Hey Like A Child”
07 “Jesus On A Wire”
08 “Fo Sho”
09 “Cool Water”
10 “Chazzy Don’t Mind”
11 “(Shiny Things)”
12 “Say The Word”
13 “Wages Of Sin”
14 “Kurt Runner”
15 “Stuffed Leopard”

TOUR DATES:
04/26 — Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa*
04/27 — Saxaphaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom*
04/28 — Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel*
04/30 — Atlanta, GA @ Shaky Knees Music Festival
05/01 — Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium*
05/03 — Oklahoma City, OK @ Jones Assembly*
05/04 — Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall*
05/05 — Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater*
05/06 — Austin, TX @ ACL Live at the Moody Theater*
05/07 — San Antonio, TX @ Aztec Theater*
05/09 — Phoenix, AZ @ Van Buren*
05/10 — San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park*
05/12 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Theatre at The Ace Hotel*
05/13 — San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore*
05/14 — San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore*
05/15 — Sonoma, CA @ Gundlach Bundschu Winery*
05/17 — Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom*
05/18 — Tacoma, WA @ Spanish Ballroom*
05/19 — Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory*
05/20 — Seattle, WA @ The Moore*
05/21 — Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
05/23 — Denver, CO @ Ogden Theater
05/25 — Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue+
05/26 — Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Ballroom+
05/27 — Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall+
05/28 — Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall+
06/01 — New York, NY @ Webster Hall+
06/02 — New York, NY @ Webster Hall~
06/03 — Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer+
06/04 — Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer~
08/26 — London, U.K. @ All Points East Festival
08/27 — Bath, U.K. @ Forum
08/28 — Leeds, U.K. @ Stylus
08/29 — Glasgow, U.K. @ QMU
08/30 — Belfast, U.K. @ Limelight
08/31 — Dublin, Ireland @ Vicar Street
09/02 — Birmingham, U.K. @ Moseley Folk & Arts Festival
09/03 — Manchester, U.K. @ Manchester Psych Fest
09/04 — Dorset, U.K. @ End Of The Road Festival
09/05 — Antwerpen, Belgium @ OLT
09/12 — Köln, Germany @ Gloria Theater
09/13 — Amsterdam, the Netherlands @ Paradiso
09/14 — Nijmegen, the Netherlands @ Openluchttheater Goffert
09/15 — Berlin, Germany @ Huxleys
09/16 — Copenhagen, DK @ The Grey Hall
09/17 — Malmö, Sweden @ Plan B
09/19 — Kortrijk, Belgium @ Depart
09/20 — Paris, France @ Le Trianon

*with Chastity Belt
+with Natural Information Society
~with Sun Ra Arkestra

(Watch My Moves) is out 4/15 via Verve. Pre-order it here.

Adam Wallacavage

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