Kurt Vile - Philadelphia's Been Good to Me (Album Review)
Tuesday, 09 June 2026
Written by Graeme Marsh
Photo: Eleanor Petry
Now 46, Kurt Vile shows no signs of slowing down. Judging by the quality and quantity of his output, why would he? ‘Philadelphia’s Been Good to Me’ is his 10th full length in under two decades and one of his best to date, doing things that only he can across a suite of songs that largely wander the streets of his hometown as if they’ve got nowhere else to be.
Across its 12 tracks, he spins negative events in a positive light, sings about his family and being at peace, but mostly he just belts out whatever is going on with him in the moment, quite literally. Take opener Zoom 97 as an example. Named after a piece of recording equipment and the 97th track laid down on it, Vile is “chimin’ chords on a Goldtone mandolin” here.
It’s an addictive, summer road trip classic-in-waiting built around one of his favourite tricks: a repetitive loop.
It could have been three times as long without becoming boring, an accolade also deserved by the similarly-themed 99th Song, which references a looper pedal that can only hold 99 songs. It’s 10 minutes front to back and you won’t want it to end.
Another compelling riff adorns the sparkling gem Rock o’ Stone, where Vile longs to taste “donuts on his tongue.” He again spills the beans on what’s going on around him, singing “laid down this song again in Athens, GA” while its hypnotic groove is set to a perfect ticking beat that references Texas hip-hop producer DJ Screw.
Closer Avalanches of Snow features a trumpet Vile has owned since school and tells of shovelling snow on Christmas Eve. The track is another easy going delight, as is the captivatingly laid back – nay, horizontal – 99 BPM with its intricate, bluesy guitar work. There are a couple of notable change ups, too.
Philly’s Been Good to Me opens with warm synths and, for a fleeting moment, you wonder if Future Islands have gatecrashed the record. Vile’s familiar guitar drawl soon pierces the illusion, while Chance to Bleed seems completely out of character with the rest of the record. It’s as electric and rocking as Vile has ever been as the track takes on the guise of a chorus that’s repeated over and over again. You’ll be hearing “old time, lo-fi, DIY, rock ‘n roll…nights” for hours afterwards.
There are a couple of throwaway moments — the nice yet eminently skippable instrumental Red Room Dub and the two minute stop-start of Piano For Sarah — but they are eclipsed by a sense of consistency that hasn’t always been so clear and obvious. “I’m treating it like my last,” Vile has said of his new record, and that he “put everything into it”. He certainly did. ‘Philadelphia’s Been Good to Me’ is going to take some topping, but it being the end of his hot streak is incomprehensible.
Kurt Vile Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Mon September 07 2026 - BRISTOL Crane
Tue September 08 2026 - BRIGHTON Chalk
Wed September 09 2026 - LONDON Troxy
Fri September 11 2026 - MANCHESTER O2 Ritz
Sat September 12 2026 - BIRMINGHAM XOYO
Sun September 13 2026 - GLASGOW SWG3 TV Studio
Mon September 14 2026 - DUBLIN Vicar Street
Tue September 15 2026 - LEEDS Project House
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