written by Chris Familton

Kurt Vile is a name that conjures up images of a Berlin underground art scenester or the baddie in a Bond film. In reality it is the birth name of one of the latest acts from the American lo-fi indie scene to be be talked up as the next great thing.

From beginnings as a player in The War On Drugs to last years compilation Constant Hitmaker through to his new album Childish Prodigy, Vile has been on a steady productive curve that brought him to the attention of Matador Records and a chance to spread his musical wings even wider.

That move to a major label brings with it increased opportunities and so far Vile has been pleased with the change. “ I’ve always been doing my thing and waiting for this type of thing to happen. Promotion-wise it is through the roof. Matador writes a blog and it goes everywhere – Pitchfork and places like that. The press is incredible and its got a great history so I’m all for it and really excited about it,” he says.

Vile first came to our attention as guitarist with The War On Drugs and their album Wagonwheel Blues that made many end of year lists with its fried country and rock n roll ramblings. Vile explains that relationship…

“The singer in that band is my best friend. We just started doing music together equally and he’s always been a member of The Violators [Vile’s backing band] too so I guess his album just went on a bigger label sooner. it was cool playing with them but he knew I was obsessed with my own thing, like everyone is. I went on one tour to Europe with him which was exciting. I got to open for him but now he’s going on tour with The Violators, at least for this big tour and I’m pretty stoked about that,” he enthuses.

Childish Prodigy is a bold progression from Constant Hitmaker and it carries a stronger focus and intent. Vile sees this as his true calling card and his first cohesive full length album. “With Constant Hitmaker I liked how it turned out but at the time I wasn’t sure, I just compiled all these different songs at different times. This one was always meant to be one single album. We went into the studio and worked really hard on the arrangements. I’ve been working on it for a year and a half, even longer in some cases. You can definitely say it is my statement.” says Vile.

Vile’s songs work in hypnotic way, locking into a rhythm or a chord progression and circling the song with that vibe while he drawls his lyrics over the top. As he discusses, his writing process varies and is always intuitive. “90% of the time it starts on acoustic and then you take it to the band and rock it out. There are a million ways it can turn out which is fun and you just go with it. Maybe early on people think they go in with an idea and its never going to come out exactly so you just go with whatever feels right,” Vile says.

Influences can often pigeonhole an artist but in Vile’s case they frame his sound in an open ended way. “I guess I take all those influences and make it my own. I’ve been making music since I was young, singing songs that don’t sound like they do now. Always working on my style and you learn more about your style and you go and make it original. There are definitely nods to tons of my influences in there; a line or a riff. I’ve been doing it long enough that I can make it my own now,” he says, confidently adding… ”Even if it sounds a little like something else I’ve had the ability to make it sound like me.”

The immediate future for Kurt Vile is a US tour with The Violators and where possible some more studio time to record recently penned songs. “I’m just going to take it as it comes but whenever I see a hole I should start working on the next record. I do want it to come out not too long after this record,” he says.

A visit to Australia is also tentatively in the works and Vile is eager to make the long flight to these shores. “The potential for it to be worth it sooner rather than later is exciting. Its in the works sort of and I’m definitely down for it!,” he says.

With Pitchfork and other online style-makers constantly making predictions and statements of artistic grandeur it is easy to dismiss acts as premature hype that will burn bright and fade out of sight. You get the sense that Kurt Vile with his enthusiasm and work ethic will be around for a long time in one form or another, looking to achieve the sound he describes as having ‘the power of Springsteen (without the cheesy factor) and wild [John] Coltrane.’