Kurt Vile is a Philadelphia singer-songwriter and guitarist, a founding member of the War on Drugs before going solo with his lazy drawl and intricate fingerpicked guitar work. Wakin on a Pretty Daze (2013) and Smoke Ring for My Halo (2011) are the go-to entry points from his Matador years. Find Kurt Vile vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Kurt Samuel Vile was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on January 3, 1980. He was a founding member of the War on Drugs alongside Adam Granduciel from 2005 to 2008, contributing to the band's debut Wagonwheel Blues (2008) before launching his solo career in earnest. He signed with Matador Records for Smoke Ring for My Halo (2011) and has continued releasing material across multiple decades. His 2017 collaboration with Courtney Barnett, Lotta Sea Lice, was a critical and commercial success.
Kurt Vile's sound combines indie rock, indie folk, alternative rock, psychedelic rock, folk rock, and singer-songwriter with his distinctive lazy drawled vocal delivery, intricate fingerpicked and arpeggiated guitar work, and arrangements drawing on classic Tom Petty, Neil Young, and broader American singer-songwriter traditions.
Matador and Verve pressings of the Kurt Vile catalog have been issued in multiple color variant editions and limited deluxe pressings.
Listeners new to Kurt Vile typically start with Wakin on a Pretty Daze (2013) or Smoke Ring for My Halo (2011).
