Today, Kurt Vile announces his new album, Philadelphia's been good to me, out May 29th via Verve Records and releases the lead single/video, “Chance to Bleed.” Additionally, he shares the dates for his 2026 world tour, including a big headline hometown show at The Dell as part of Connor Barwin’s Make The World Better concert series, alongside co-headliners Pavement. Philadelphia’s been good to me has a time-collapsing quality, merging meandering balladry and horizon-chasing road songs.
Philadelphia isn’t exactly Neil Young’s Malibu, California or Terry Allen’s Lubbock, Texas, but every great American songwriter needs to stake a claim for the town that feels most like home, and with this album, the man who came out of the gate calling himself “Philly’s constant hitmaker” has crafted a love letter to the city he never left, even as his career took him around the world. “This is my ‘bringing it all back home to Philly’ record,” Vile says. “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.”
On today’s single, “Chance to Bleed,” Vile looks back on his early days in the underground music scene. Featuring guest vocals from old friends—Natalie Hoffman (NOTS, Optic Sink), Ethan Buckler (King Kong, Slint), and Greg Cartwright (Reigning Sound, The Oblivians), who also contributes co-lead guitar (Kurt’s guitar is panned to the left, Greg’s to the right)—it’s an ode to “old-time, lo-fi, DIY rock ‘n’ roll nights.” It’s a catchy-as-hell barnburner he calls “hillbilly techno,” and appropriately, its music video was filmed at Fishtown institution Kung Fu Necktie, packed out with friends and collaborators, including Hoffman, Buckler, and Cartwright. It even boasts cameos from comedian Jim E Brown and a fellow hometown hero: the one and only Schoolly D, popping up in his signature fur coat.
Commenting on the track and video, Vile says: "'Chance to bleed' is some new kinda higher energy rager. Recorded with my band of bros the Violators in Athens, GA… and then on down the road to Memphis, TN where we got town legend Greg Cartwright to rip with us (KV lead gtr on the left and Greg lead on the right!) I finished this jam out in L.A. with Rob Schnapf at the mixing board and by then it was flyin, baby. The video is a hoot: I invited my Memphis friends back out for that and there’re a ton of other legendary guests so keep your eyes peeled. (Yo, Schoolly D!) Love, KV."
Though it’s a snapshot of his life at a particular moment in time, Philadelphia’s been good to me embodies Vile’s understanding of music as a conversation between people across time. The photo on the album’s cover, an image of a ramshackle bar sign taken by the legendary photographer William Eggleston, actually depicts a scene in Memphis. Yet the never-before-seen original photo, which Eggleston’s son Winston sent to Vile a few years ago, is as much a part of his history in the city as his old gig driving a forklift at the Philadelphia Brewing Company or his old haunts in Northern Liberties. The sentiment it communicates, much like Vile’s music, transcends space and time.
Vile created the album from late 2023 to early 2026, in what he describes as “an inspired state of flux,” capturing the odd melody to a Zoom recorder or loop machine between stints on the road. Though Vile’s travels led him to sessions in Memphis, Los Angeles, and Athens, he laid down the majority of the album in a basement studio in his Mt. Airy home, surrounded by humming analogue organs, old tape consoles, records, and books about heroes—some of whom he now counts as collaborators. Built out with Violators bassist Adam Langellotti at the start of the pandemic, the space, dubbed “OKV Central” or “Overnight KV,” has become Vile’s sanctuary, a place he can retreat to after a show in the city and receive a visit from the late-night muse.
Largely self-produced, with assists from Langellotti, keys wiz Matthew Jugenheimer, drummer Kyle Spence, guitarist Jesse Trbovrich, and longtime Violators boardsman Rob Schnapf, the record sees Vile returning to his home-recording roots while also coming into his own as a producer, using time-tested and world-worn tools to fill the album with more warmth than you can fit into the back of a touring band’s van. “I’ve been waiting for that kinda natural element to show up again in my recordings, like the old home recording days,” he says. “I think I finally caught that again, but in a higher fidelity; it’s never overly polished, but it’s still pretty damn shimmery.” He’s especially proud of the sparkly lead guitar melodies he pulls from an old, hollow-body Gretsch Tennessean once owned by longtime friend and “one of my true heroes,” Travis Good of the Sadies.
Make no mistake: Philadelphia’s been good to me is the sound of Philly’s constant hitmaker coming back to kick ass, son the haters, and put on for the City of Brotherly Love. In true Kurt Vile fashion, he does so while sounding more relaxed than ever. Between the 250th anniversary of America and its hosting of select World Cup games, 2026 is shaping up to be a big deal for Philadelphia.
Pre-Order Philadelphia's been good to me
Philadelphia's been good to me Tracklist
1. Zoom 97
2. 99 BPM
3. Rock 'o Stone
4. You don't know cuz it's my life
5. Chance to Bleed
6. Philly's been good to me
7. 99th song
8. Red Room Dub
9. Every time I look at you
10. Piano for Sarah
11. Avalanches of Snow
Kurt Vile Tour Dates (new dates in bold)
Tue. June 16 - Toronto, ON @ History *
Wed. June 17 - Montreal, QC @ Beanfield Theatre *
Fri. June 19 - Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground *
Sat. June 20 - Greenfield, MA @ Green River Festival
Sun. June 21 - Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony (North to Shore Fest) *
Mon. June 22 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre *
Tue. June 23 - Cleveland, OH @ The Roxy *
Thu. June 25 - Detroit, MI @ Saint Andrew's Hall *
Fri. June 26 - Chicago, IL @ Salt Shed *
Sat. June 27 - Eau Claire, WI @ Blue Ox Music Festival
Sun. June 28 - St Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre %
Wed. July 1 - Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom @
Thu. July 2 - Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall %
Fri. July 3 - Seattle, WA @ 5th Avenue Theatre %
Sun. July 5 - South Lake Tahoe, CA @ The Hangar %
Tue. July 7 - San Francisco, CA @ The Castro Theater %
Wed. July 8 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Novo %
Thu. July 9 - San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park %
Fri. July 10 - Phoenix, AZ @ Van Buren %
Sat. July 11 - Santa Fe, NM @ The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing Co. %
Mon. July 13 - Austin, TX @ ACL Live at The Moody Theatre !
Tue. July 14 - Houston, TX @ Heights Theater !
Wed. July 15 - Dallas, TX @ Longhorn Ballroom !
Fri. July 17 - Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern !
Sat. July 18 - Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium !
Sun. July 19 - Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel !
Mon. July 20 - Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom !
Wed. July 22 - Washington, DC @ Howard Theatre !
Thu. July 23 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount !
Fri. July 24 - Boston, MA @ Royale !
Sat. July 25 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Dell Music Center >$
Thu. Aug. 13 - Paredes de Coura, PT @ Paredes de Coura Festival
Sat. Aug. 15 - Saint-Malo, FR @ La Route du Rock
Mon. Aug. 17 - Hamburg, DE @ Mojo
Tue. Aug. 18 - Copenhagen, DK @ Vega
Fri. Aug. 21 - Trondheim, NO @ Pstereo
Sun. Aug. 23 - Hasselt, BE @ Pukkelpop
Mon. Aug. 24 - Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
Tue. Aug. 25 - Nijmegen, NL @ Doornroosje
Thu. Aug. 27 - La Tour-de-Peilz, CH @ Nox Orae
Fri. Aug. 28 - Paris, FR @ Rock en Seine
Sat. Aug. 29 - Luxembourg, LU @ Den Atelier
Sun. Aug. 30 - Köln, DE @ Gloria
Tue. Sept. 1 - Munich, DE @ Muffathalle
Wed. Sept. 2 - Prague, CZ @ Archa+
Thu. Sept. 3 - Berlin, DE @ Huxleys Neue Welt
Fri. Sept. 4 - Maastricht, NL @ Zero for Three
Sun. Sept. 6 - Dorset, UK @ End of the Road
Mon. Sept. 7 - Bristol, UK @ The Crane %
Tue. Sept. 8 - Brighton, UK @ Chalk %
Wed. Sept. 9 - London, UK @ Troxy %
Fri. Sept. 11 - Manchester, UK @ The Ritz %
Sat. Sept. 12 - Birmingham, UK @ XOYO %
Sun. Sept. 13 - Glasgow, UK @ SWG3 TV Studio %
Mon. Sept. 14 - Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street %
Tue. Sept. 15 - Leeds, UK @ Project %
Wed. Nov. 4 - Buffalo, NY @ Asbury Hall $
Thu. Nov. 5 - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall $
Fri. Nov. 6 - Louisville, KY @ Headliners Music Hall $
Sat. Nov. 7 - St. Louis, MO @ The Sovereign $
Sun. Nov. 8 - Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall $
Tue. Nov. 10 - Des Moines, IA @ Wooly’s $
Wed. Nov. 11 - Lawrence, KS @ Liberty Hall $
Thu. Nov. 12 - Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room $
Fri. Nov. 13 - Fort Collins, CO @ Washington's $
Sat. Nov. 14 - Denver, CO @ Summit $
Mon. Nov. 16 - Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic Lounge $
Tue. Nov. 17 - Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall $ #
Wed. Nov. 18 - New Orleans, LA @ Joy Theatre $
Fri. Nov. 20 - Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club $
Sat. Nov. 21 - Charleston, SC @ The Music Farm $
Sun. Nov. 22 - Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre $
Mon. Nov. 23 - Richmond, VA @ The National
Tue. Nov. 24 - Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar $
* w/ The Sadies
% w/ Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band
@ w/ Alex Amen
! w/ Being Dead
$ w/ Twisted Teens
> w/ TAGABOW
# w/ Optic Sink
