Today, indie rock’s exemplary everyman Kurt Vile announces Classic Love, a five-track EP with Nashville songwriter Luke Roberts, releasing 7/25 on Verve Records. To celebrate the announcement, Vile shares the title track “classic love,” which was originally a demo of Roberts’ that the two finished together. The title track is representative of the Classic Love EP as a whole – rooted in collaboration, succinct and infectious. Check out the new single & pre-order the EP here.
The official music video for “classic love,” featuring Vile and Roberts and a pick-pocketing scheme, also released today.
Speaking on the single, Vile says, “I always thought ‘classic love’ was the epitome of a song that belonged on the radio. When I heard Luke and Kyle [Spence’s] recording of this (they even got Kyle’s old Harvey Milk bandmate, Creston Spiers to play some on it) it just floored me: like this could be old or new, just a timeless track… I figured the best way I could help it reach the masses was to just get myself up in that track as well and move ‘er through the kv / verve machine. I believe in Luke so much and, yeah, this song in general has been my and Kyle’s religion for some time. Luke is just a great songwriter, man. Now it can be immortalized in the canon of classic songs! The minute I heard this song I just wanted to be involved. Love ya, Luke!”
After packing an entire album’s worth of songs, licks, and winsome wisdom into his 2023 EP Back to Moon Beach, indie rock’s exemplary everyman Kurt Vile stuck to the medium’s more traditional format with Classic Love. The project draws heavily on Vile’s friendship and creative partnership with Nashville songwriter Luke Roberts. After meeting via MySpace, they toured together for Kurt’s seminal B’lieve I’m Goin Down… album, while Roberts has gone on to release LPs on Thrill Jockey and Thurston Moore’s Ecstatic Peace. Their collaborative work emanates an energy that’s “sad and funny at the same time,” something Vile says is a guiding ethos of his music.
With a run of adored albums and EPs starting in the late 2000s, Vile quickly became a critical favorite and commercial stalwart thanks to 2013’s Wakin on a Pretty Daze and 2015’s B’lieve I’m Goin Down… A leading figure in Philadelphia’s robust indie rock scene, Vile has released nine solo LPs since 2019, as well as a cavalcade of EPs, collaborating with Courtney Barnett, John Prine, Hope Sandoval, The Avalanches, and many more.
Classic Love is a concise but emblematic entry in the Kurt Vile canon: infectious, yet unvarnished, showcasing his natural ability to craft his own songs and interpolate others that you want to keep listening to.
Kurt Vile is currently on tour throughout North America and playing both headlining dates and shows with Pixies. See all Kurt Vile tour dates here and listed below.
CLASSIC LOVE EP TRACKLIST
1. classic love
2. hit of the highlife
3. classic love (kv version)
4. slow talkers ’22
5. wildflower
KURT VILE TOUR DATES
6/27 Vancouver, BC Orpheum *
6/28 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory Concert House
6/29 Boise, ID Knitting Factory Concert House
7/08 Montreal, QC MTelus (Metropolis) *
7/09 Montreal, QC MTelus (Metropolis) *
7/10 Québec City, QC Festival d’été de Québec
7/11 Toronto, ON Danforth Music Hall
7/12 Ottawa, ON Ottawa Bluesfest
7/13 Buffalo, NY Asbury Hall
7/15 Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Paramount *
7/16 Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Paramount *
7/19 Boston, MA MGM Music Hall at Fenway *
7/20 New Haven, CT Toad’s Place
7/21 Portland, ME State Theatre
7/22 Philadelphia, PA The Fillmore *
7/23 Philadelphia, PA The Fillmore *
7/25 Washington, DC The Anthem *
7/26 Washington, DC The Anthem *
7/28 Detroit, MI The Fillmore Detroit *
7/29 Detroit, MI The Fillmore Detroit *
7/31 St. Paul, MN Palace Theatre *
8/1 St. Paul, MN Palace Theatre *
8/2 Evanston, IL SPACE
8/3 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue
* w/ Pixies