April 07, 2026
Brandon Dill/Imagn Images
Kurt Vile's new album, 'Philadelphia's been good to me,' is out via Verve Records on May 29. Vile will perform at the Dell Music Center as part of the annual Make the World Better concert series on July 25. Above, Vile performs at the Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis in 2022.
Kurt Vile will sing Philadelphia's praises in his upcoming album, which will be released May 29.
The veteran folk and psych rocker unveiled the project, dubbed "Philadelphia's been good to me," and released a music video for its first single, "Chance to Bleed," on Tuesday morning. The video was filmed at Kensington's Kung Fu Necktie on Front Street.
SEPTA's El rumbles by in the opening sequence, leading into a performance by Vile and his band as the audience members sing along and take Jell-O shots. In his affirming and sinewy drawl,Vile sings about reconnecting with his DIY roots. Rapper and Philly native Schoolly D makes a cameo in his signature fur coat.
Vile, 46, grew up in suburban Lansdowne in a home with nine siblings. He moved to Northern Liberties in 2003 at a time when the formerly industrial neighborhood had emerged as a haven for young artists. Vile worked at Yards Brewing Co. and Philadelphia Brewing Co. while developing his entrancing brand of lo-fi indie rock. He co-founded the War on Drugs with Adam Granduciel, who had moved to Fishtown around the same time, and stuck with the band for several years before embarking on his solo career. He now lives in Mount Airy with his wife and kids.
The new album is Vile's second full-length release since he moved from Matador Records to Verve Records, putting out "Watch My Moves" in 2022. He released the "Back to Moon Beach" EP the next year and another EP, "Classic Love," in 2025. Vile said "Philadelphia's been good to me" goes heavy on collaborations with other musicians. The project was primarily recorded at his OKV Central studio in his basement in Mount Airy.
"It’s gotta lotta my band of bros the Violators on there," Vile wrote on Instagram. "And it’s gotta lotta my extended musical family up in that … too. It’s beautiful and deep and organic ..."
The atmosphere of Philadelphia has been inseparable from Vile's evolution as an artist. His breakout album, 2013's "Wakin' on a Pretty Daze," inspired a mural that still adorns a wall at the intersection of Front and Master streets. Past music videos have seen him spoof the Philadelphia Parking Authority ("Loading Zones") and meander through the woods of the Wissahickon in an alligator mask ("Mount Airy Hill"), but the new album figures to be his most direct salute to the city.
Vile is slated to perform at the Dell Music Center on July 25 as part of former Eagles linebacker Connor Barwin's Make the World Better Foundation concert series, which will be headlined by Pavement this year. Vile's tour kicks off in mid-June and has a stop at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park on June 21.
