As the sun bursts through the tree canopies, Kurt Vile’s latest song rises up, swirling in loose, musical currents. Throughout, the instrumentation and arrangements are adventurous and imaginative, just like Vile’s lyrics, words tumbling through a gorgeous, almost spoken melody. ‘Another good Year for the roses’ slowly swells, the sounds expanding and growing more complex, until the final minute and a half, which is an epic, sprawling, psychedelic triumph. It’s hypnotic, captivating stuff. In the video, we see Vile and his fellow musicians jamming in the woods before he later appears to form a new band with actors Kevin Corrigan and Michael Shannon to perform at New York venue ‘Otto’s Shrunken Head’
Vile’s new EP, ‘Back to Moon Beach’, is out today 17th N0vember 2023 . This is the lead single and opening track, setting the mood of freedom and the tone perfectly for the record. Vile says: “Hi! Here’s the opening track from my upcoming ep… ok, it’s longer than an ep… now I call it a KV comp. The first 6 tracks — which are the ones that fit on a single LP — are new to the world, with one foot in the not-too-distant past and the other with one tiny toe pointing toward the future. Together my feet are like a couple spanning time together. This song was started at Stinson Beach, CA in September 2019 for a few days of recording with Rob Laakso, Stella Mozgawa, Chris Cohen, Cate Le Bon (and Adam Langellotti floating as a fly on the wall as well). Adam and I being the two overseers across this entire endeavor: we finished it on our own (and with some friends along the way). We ended up demonically overdubbing for weeks straight at OKV. Central, Philly (my studio)…this was all of May 2023…so many magic moments.”
While Vile calls this an EP, it is actually almost an hour long and would be classed as a full-length record by most artists. A year on from his 2022 release ‘(watch my moves)’, the new EP is a collection of original songs, covers, and reimagined versions of tracks from previous records. The result is full of excellent musicianship and originality. It is totally absorbing. Fans have the option of three ways to purchase ‘Back to Moon Beach’. There’s a standard vinyl release with 6 tracks, a digital download CD version with 9 tracks and a deluxe double-LP with 10 songs. Whichever you choose, there’s much to enjoy.
