Album Review: Kurt Vile - ‘Philadelphia’s Been Good to Me’
- Michael La Torre, Founder and Editor in Chief
- May 25
- 3 min read
Alternative mainstay Kurt Vile is back with his 10th record titled ‘Philadelphia’s Been Good to Me’ this Friday! The Philly naitive will be embarking on a world tour to support the new record starting next month. On his latest release, Vile stated “This is my ‘bringing it all back home to Philly’ record. 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.” via a statement. Vile held down the production of this one himself, and features assists on instrumentation from his Violator bandmates. With all this in mind, we had extremely high hopes for this one (as we always do with Kurt Vile’s stuff).
Vile was not lying about the guitar work in this one. He comes out swinging on the first three tracks of the record with complex lead work that oozes signature Kurt Vile sound. We especially loved the juxtaposition from the electric leads and the acoustic-tinged rhythms on “Rock ‘o Stone”.
As Vile mentioned, he puts it all on the line with this one vocally as well. This rang true on the track “You don’t know cuz it’s my life”, which features Vile taking risks vocally, including the use of some falsetto both in the lead and harmonies. We have always been fans of Vile’s understated vocal style, he knows what he does well, but isn’t afraid to take risks when it’s called for.
The lead single “Chance to Bleed” is positioned in the middle of the record and is one of the strongest singles we’ve heard in a minute. But don’t get it twisted, this record is so much more than the singles. Rather, it is a sum of it’s parts. In an industry that has pivoted of the years to being more driven by singles and sound bites than polished cohesive albums. Vile continues to buck the norms of the music industry today by putting together a strong effort from start to finish.
We would be remiss if we failed to mention the capstone of ‘Philadelphia’s Been Good to Me’, “Avalanche of Snow”. This track clocks in at just over the seven minute mark. Again, in a world of short attention spans, not many artists are chomping at the bit to put out a tune of that length these days. We get the hesitation, but when you got the skills that Vile (a student of the game) has, we say “why not?”. The track masterfully intertwines Vile’s signature vocals, guitar, and some great horn work as well.
The result is a finished product that features movements. Vile even goes as far to (tastefully) feature sleigh bells, right around a line about Christmas. It doesn’t come off as forced in any way. Rather, it’s more of a subtle wink to the listener from an artist that knows when to add and when to show restraint.
We have always been suckers for Vile over the years and have seen the man live twice, once with The Sadies (who will be joining him this summer/fall and once with Dinosaur Jr.). We share this in hopes that you’ll catch a show when Vile and Co. come to town on tour. As we approach the midway point of 2026 (how did that happen???), we have to say that Vile has put out one of our favorite records of the year with ‘Philadelphia’s Been Good to Me’.
Rating - 4.5/5
Catch Kurt Vile on tour! FMI, on all things Kurt Vile, visit.
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This review captures Kurt Vile’s relaxed but inventive approach on Philadelphia’s Been Good to Me, especially his mix of electric guitar textures and more emotional vocal moments. After reading engaging music reviews like this, I often play Slope Rider which is a fast-paced snow sledding game that challenges reflexes while you race down icy slopes and avoid obstacles in dynamic runs.
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