"It's the first time I've had this long of a break from touring and recording," Vile explains. "I've developed this routine at home. I wait for the kids to go to bed, then my wife falls asleep. Then it's dark and quiet enough for me to work on songs. I just keep going later and later, until sunrise."
His next project, called 'All Over the Place,' will be a product of overnight sessions in several locales from Brooklyn to Athens, Georgia, and Southern California, where he recorded for eight days at Rancho de la Luna Studio.
Vile says the new album will be his darkest yet, with production duties by Rob Schnapf, who worked in the past on Beck's 'Mellow Gold' and Elliott Smith's 'Either/Or.'
"We're not doing this in any linear sort of way," Vile explains. "The record happens as my life happens — I go home and record a song, mix it somewhere else. I'm not just writing and recording it all at once."
Despite the darker sound, Vile hints that a new handmade banjo will have a bigger role on 'All Over the Place,' as well as a sprawling melancholy that serves as a counterpoint to his last release.
"Everybody goes up and down throughout their lives," he continues. 'Smoke Ring' was a downer, then 'Wakin' was an upturn. My music has to be funny and sad and happy and loving, it's gotta have it all."
So far there is no release date for 'All Over the Place,' but with just three shows scheduled this summer, Vile hopes he can have it ready some time in the fall. Until then, a throwback.