Philadelphia rock singer/songwriter Kurt Vile has announced (watch my moves) (April 15, Verve Records), the follow-up to 2018’s Bottle It In, and his ninth solo studio album. Ahead of the LP’s spring release (Vile’s first in partnership with Verve), lead single “Like Exploding Stones” is out now, along with a music video that features Sun Ra Arkestra’s James Stewart.
“Like Exploding Stones” is a sprawling, psychedelic meditation on mental unrest that places Vile’s indie-rock charms and electronic atmospherics on equal footing. “Pain ricocheting in my brain like exploding stones / Thoughts runnin’ ‘round in my cranium like pinball machine-a-mania,” sings Vile over elongated synths and reverb-soaked guitars, managing to enjoy the ride even while it’s going off the rails. As the track stretches toward (and past) the seven-minute mark, Vile finds salvation in—what else?—music, narrating alongside Stewart’s sax, “Guitars feedin’ back now / Feedback massaging my cranium.”
Vile self-produced his new record with an assist from his longtime collaborator Rob Schnapf (Richard Thompson, Elliott Smith), recording primarily at his new home studio in Philly’s Mount Airy neighborhood, dubbed “OKV Central.” “When Waylon Jennings became an outlaw country artist, he liked to record at Hillbilly Central, which was Tompall Glaser’s studio,” Vile explains 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.”
Vile’s longtime band The Violators play on the album alongside Schnapf, James Stewart and an array of special guests, including Chastity Belt, Cate Le Bon, and percussionists Stella Mozgawa (Warpaint, Courtney Barnett) and Sarah Jones (Hot Chip, Harry Styles). (watch my moves) features 14 originals and a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Wages of Sin,” all of which find Vile working to master his “fried pop” craft. “It’s about songwriting. It’s about lyrics. It’s about being the master of all domains in the music,” he says. “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.”
In addition to a previously announced set at Atlanta’s Shaky Knees festival in April, Vile and The Violators have set an extensive U.S. tour for the spring, with a lengthy U.K. and E.U. run to follow this summer. Tickets for his newly announced U.S., U.K. and European headlining shows go on sale Friday, Feb. 18, at 10 a.m. local time.
Watch the “Like Exploding Stones” video (dir. Sean Dunne) below, and find the details of (watch my moves) further down, along with Vile’s complete tour itinerary (new shows are in bold).
(watch my moves) 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
(watch my moves) Art:
Kurt Vile Tour Dates:
April
26 – Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa*
27 – Saxaphaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom*
28 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel*
30 – Atlanta, GA @ Shaky Knees Music Festival
May
01 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium*
03 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Jones Assembly*
04 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall*
05 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater*
06 – Austin, TX @ ACL Live at the Moody Theater*
07 – San Antonio, TX @ Aztec Theater*
09 – Phoenix, AZ @ Van Buren*
10 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park*
12 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Theatre at The Ace Hotel*
13 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore*
14 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore*
15 – Sonoma, CA @ Gundlach Bundschu Winery*
17 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom*
18 – Tacoma, WA @ Spanish Ballroom*
19 – Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory*
20 – Seattle, WA @ The Moore*
21 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
23 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theater
25 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue+
26 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Ballroom+
27 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall+
28 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall+
June
01 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall+
02 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall~
03 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer+
04 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer~
August
26 – London, U.K. @ All Points East Festival
27 – Bath, U.K. @ Forum
28 – Leeds, U.K. @ Stylus
29 – Glasgow, U.K. @ QMU
30 – Belfast, U.K. @ Limelight
31 – Dublin, Ireland @ Vicar Street
September
02 – Birmingham, U.K. @ Moseley Folk & Arts Festival
03 – Manchester, U.K. @ Manchester Psych Fest
04 – Dorset, U.K. @ End of the Road Festival
05 – Antwerpen, Belgium @ OLT
12 – Köln, Germany @ Gloria Theater
13 – Amsterdam, the Netherlands @ Paradiso
14 – Nijmegen, the Netherlands @ Openluchttheater Goffert
15 – Berlin, Germany @ Huxleys
16 – Copenhagen, DK @ The Grey Hall
17 – Malmö, Sweden @ Plan B
19 – Kortrijk, Belgium @ Depart
20 – Paris, France @ Le Trianon
(*with Chastity Belt)
(+with Natural Information Society)
(~with Sun Ra Arkestra)
