Kurt Vile’s New Album ‘Philadelphia’s Been Good to Me’ Is a Love Letter to the City He Never Left

 Today, Kurt Vile releases his tenth studio album, Philadelphia’s been good to mevia Verve RecordsPhiladelphia’s been good to me has a time-collapsing quality, merging meandering balladry and horizon-chasing road songs. Philadelphia isn’t exactly Neil Young’s Malibu, California or Terry Allen’s Lubbock, Texas, but every great American songwriter needs to stake a claim for the town that feels most like home, and with this album, the man who came out of the gate calling himself “Philly’s constant hitmaker” has crafted a love letter to the city he never left, even as his career took him around the world. “This is my ‘bringing it all back home to Philly’ record,” Vile says. “I’m treating it like my last record. I put everything into it. It’s my best vocal record. It’s my best electric guitar record. It’s my most organic record, made in the comfort of my own zone.”

Largely self-produced, with assists from Violators bassist Adam Langellotti, keys wiz Matthew Jugenheimer, drummer Kyle Spence, guitarist Jesse Trbovrich, and longtime Violators boardsman Rob Schnapf, the record sees Vile returning to his home-recording roots while also coming into his own as a producer, using time-tested and world-worn tools to fill the album with more warmth than you can fit into the back of a touring band’s van. “I’ve been waiting for that kinda natural element to show up again in my recordings, like the old home recording days,” he says. “I think I finally caught that again, but in a higher fidelity; it’s never overly polished, but it’s still pretty damn shimmery.” He’s especially proud of the sparkly lead guitar melodies he pulls from an old, hollow-body Gretsch Tennessean once owned by longtime friend and “one of my true heroes,” Travis Good of the Sadies.

Make no mistake: Philadelphia’s been good to me is the sound of Philly’s constant hitmaker coming back to kick ass, son the haters, and put on for the City of Brotherly Love. In true Kurt Vile fashion, he does so while sounding more relaxed than ever. Between the 250th anniversary of America and its hosting of select World Cup games, 2026 is shaping up to be a big deal for Philadelphia.

Next Month, Vile will embark on an extensive 2026 world tour, including a big headline hometown show at The Dell as part of Connor Barwin’s Make The World Better concert series, alongside co-headliners Pavement. Tickets are now on sale and available here.

Kurt Vile Tour Dates
Tue. June 16 – Toronto, ON @ History *
Wed. June 17 – Montreal, QC @ Beanfield Theatre *
Fri. June 19 – Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground *
Sat. June 20 – Greenfield, MA @ Green River Festival
Sun. June 21 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony (North to Shore Fest) *
Mon. June 22 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre *
Tue. June 23 – Cleveland, OH @ The Roxy *
Thu. June 25 – Detroit, MI @ Saint Andrew’s Hall *
Fri. June 26 – Chicago, IL @ Salt Shed *
Sat. June 27 – Eau Claire, WI @ Blue Ox Music Festival
Sun. June 28 – St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre
Wed. July 1 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom @ [SOLD OUT]
Thu. July 2 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall % [SOLD OUT]
Fri. July 3 – Seattle, WA @ 5th Avenue Theatre %
Sun. July 5 – South Lake Tahoe, CA @ The Hangar %
Tue. July 7 – San Francisco, CA @ The Castro Theater %
Wed. July 8 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Novo %
Thu. July 9 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park %
Fri. July 10 – Phoenix, AZ @ Van Buren %
Sat. July 11 – Santa Fe, NM @ The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing Co. %
Mon. July 13 – Austin, TX @ ACL Live at The Moody Theatre !
Tue. July 14 – Houston, TX @ Heights Theater !
Wed. July 15 – Dallas, TX @ Longhorn Ballroom !
Fri. July 17 – Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern !
Sat. July 18 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium !
Sun. July 19 – Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel !
Mon. July 20 – Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom !
Wed. July 22 – Washington, DC @ Howard Theatre !
Thu. July 23 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount !
Fri. July 24 – Boston, MA @ Royale !
Sat. July 25 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Dell Music Center >$
Thu. Aug. 13 – Paredes de Coura, PT @ Paredes de Coura Festival
Sat. Aug. 15 – Saint-Malo, FR @ La Route du Rock
Mon. Aug. 17 – Hamburg, DE @ Mojo
Tue. Aug. 18 – Copenhagen, DK @ Vega
Fri. Aug. 21 – Trondheim, NO @ Pstereo
Sun. Aug. 23 – Hasselt, BE @ Pukkelpop
Mon. Aug. 24 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
Tue. Aug. 25 – Nijmegen, NL @ Doornroosje
Thu. Aug. 27 – La Tour-de-Peilz, CH @ Nox Orae
Fri. Aug. 28 – Paris, FR @ Rock en Seine
Sat. Aug. 29 – Luxembourg, LU @ Den Atelier
Sun. Aug. 30 – Köln, DE @ Gloria
Tue. Sept. 1 – Munich, DE @ Muffathalle
Wed. Sept. 2 – Prague, CZ @ Archa+
Thu. Sept. 3 – Berlin, DE @ Huxleys Neue Welt
Fri. Sept. 4 – Maastricht, NL @ Zero for Three
Sun. Sept. 6 – Dorset, UK @ End of the Road
Mon. Sept. 7 – Bristol, UK @ The Crane %
Tue. Sept. 8 – Brighton, UK @ Chalk %
Wed. Sept. 9 – London, UK @ Troxy %
Fri. Sept. 11 – Manchester, UK @ The Ritz %
Sat. Sept. 12 – Birmingham, UK @ XOYO %
Sun. Sept. 13 – Glasgow, UK @ SWG3 TV Studio %
Mon. Sept. 14 – Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street %
Tue. Sept. 15 – Leeds, UK @ Project %
Wed. Nov. 4 – Buffalo, NY @ Asbury Hall $
Thu. Nov. 5 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall $
Fri. Nov. 6 – Louisville, KY @ Headliners Music Hall $
Sat. Nov. 7 – St. Louis, MO @ The Sovereign $
Sun. Nov. 8 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall $
Tue. Nov. 10 – Des Moines, IA @ Wooly’s $
Wed. Nov. 11 – Lawrence, KS @ Liberty Hall $
Thu. Nov. 12 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room $
Fri. Nov. 13 – Fort Collins, CO @ Washington’s $
Sat. Nov. 14 – Denver, CO @ Summit $
Mon. Nov. 16 – Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic Lounge $
Tue. Nov. 17 – Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall $ #
Wed. Nov. 18 – New Orleans, LA @ Joy Theatre $
Fri. Nov. 20 – Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club $
Sat. Nov. 21 – Charleston, SC @ The Music Farm $
Sun. Nov. 22 – Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre $
Mon. Nov. 23 – Richmond, VA @ The National
Tue. Nov. 24 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar $ [SOLD OUT]

* w/ The Sadies
% w/ Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band
@ w/ Alex Amen
! w/ Being Dead
$ w/ Twisted Teens
> w/ TAGABOW
# w/ Optic Sink