Fotos -© Jo McCaughey

Spätestens mit der Single Pretty Pimpin hat Kurt Vile eine große Hörerschaft gewonnen. Während die Musikpresse schon seine Vorgängeralben durchweg feierten, schien dieser Song für viele Hörer erst der Einstieg in das großartige Solowerk des Künstlers zu sein. Pretty Pimpin begeistert. Ob es dabei die eingehende Gitarrenmelodie ist, die sympathisch, authentische Slacker-Attitüde oder aber das dazu kontrastierend ehrliche Bild eines Mannes, der sich selbst nicht so ernst nimmt, lässt sich auch nach drei Jahren nicht mehr genau beantworten. Wenn man ihn selbst fragt, dann wahrscheinlich weil es ein gott-verdammter smash hit war. Jedenfalls kam uns eben genau das Video von Pretty Pimpin in den Kopf, als wir vor einigen Wochen mit ihm telefonierten und im Hintergrund seine Kinder zu hören waren. Kurt saß nämlich zu diesem Zeitpunkt wirklich ganz gelassen bei sich Zuhause und hat die letzten Tage mit der Familie genoßen. Eine große Europatour steht an. Wir haben mit ihm über sein neues Album bottle it in gesprochen, das am 12.Oktober 2018 erscheinen wird.

What do you think people like about your music?
Haha, because they like smash hits. For real I think there are all kinds of reasons. Some people like it because it’s sad, some other because they like psychedelic music. It depends.

Do you have something like a favorite track among all your new songs?
If I have to pick a favorite track I would pick the title track bottle it in but I also love hysteria.

After your work with Courtney Barnett and your album Lotta Sea Lice. How is it to be a single songwriter again?
It’s actually not that different – it’s just that we shared. It was a 50/50 split. It was nice to work with Courtney. We both helped each other out.  But it is not that different to be honest. Maybe it was nice to have somebody around, something like a band. Now it’s time to focus on my own stuff for a while.

What is your favorite music album or track in the moment? Is there a 2018-favorite yet?
One of my favorite new albums is Big Thief – I forget the title but it is the most recent one with shark smile on it. You know that one? I love that song Haley but I like the whole record. I am also pretty excited for the new Steve Gunn record that didn’t come out yet. But I know that is gonna be good.

It’s a pretty nice video for Loading Zones – how many parking tickets did you already catch in your life?
Maybe 15 in my life, maybe more – who knows. 100?

You sing about „all the loading zones in my dirty little town“ – is this a methoper for something?
It can be – the world is a dirty little town. But in this case it is really my dirty little town, where I live. It is a beautiful town a well, I have to say but yeah, it’s a small one.

How comes that the most songs on your new album takes more time? Is it a kind of session-character you wanted to involve?
Well, I done the long-song thing for a while, it’s gotten on tapes since my album Waking On A Pretty Daze. The title track is 9 minutes long. The last song is 10 minutes long. But this time the songs are a little bit more open, a little more zoned out in the studio. It is a different thing. The reason why I have them is that I didn’t know they are long when I went to record them. In the moment while I am recording I zoned out, it was sort of a trance.  It feels right, it feels like capturing a moment. This time I didn’t want to cut it down.

Do you have any goals with the new album, is there a conceptual background?
I just had songs that I wanted to record. And there a also songs I wrote when I already produced the album. First you start with songs you already have. Loading zones – I have that song for a couple of years. But I write songs more on the spot, inspired by the moment. Bottled it in is really much like a song that was new when I went to the studio. You kind of discover the sound of the record on the go.

There is a big tour coming up. What’s for you the best part to play live shows?
In general playing life is the most organic experience. I can feel the crowd. Even on the record I try to capture playing live. So playing live in front of people definitely formed the album because it all starts with that. That is the ultimate release I would say and the ultimate exercise. But I enjoy the whole process of making music equally.

Thank you!

Kurt Vile – bottle it in
VÖ: 12.Oktober 2018, Matador Records
http://kurtvile.com/
www.facebook.com/kurtvileofphilly

Kurt Vile Tour:
12.10. Grünspan, Hamburg
18.10. Huxleys, Berlin
19.10. Muffathalle, München
02.11. Kantine, Köln