Kurt Vile - Speed, Sound, Lonely KV EP review

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"Kurt Vile’s new five‑tracker is driven by his typical twangy, from‑the‑hip noodling and soulful, pseudo-Southern drawl"

Kurt Vile - Speed, Sound, Lonely KV
(Image credit: Supplied)

KURT VILE
Speed, Sound, Lonely KV
MATADOR / REMOTE CONTROL

Unsurprising for any fan of the laidback Pennsylvanian indie-folker, Kurt Vile’s new five‑tracker is driven by his typical twangy, from‑the‑hip noodling and soulful, pseudo-Southern drawl. 

The centrepiece is a duet with John Prine on the late country classic’s luminous “How Lucky”, a bright and bewitching tribute framed palpably around Vile’s deep adoration and respect for Prine. But it’s the EP’s two original cuts – the dizzy, droning “Dandelions” and the cruisy, cantering “Pearls” – that leave the most of a lasting impact once Vile’s last twirling pluck winds out; understated and loveably lackadaisical, they’re so easy to get swept up in. 

Production is sparse and the mixes are raw, dry room reverb and the occasional pop of a stool or click of a heel making this feel more like an intimate live performance than a polished product. 

Ellie Robinson
Ellie Robinson
Editor-at-Large, Australian Guitar Magazine

Ellie Robinson is an Australian writer, editor and dog enthusiast with a keen ear for pop-rock and a keen tongue for actual Pop Rocks. Her bylines include music rag staples like NME, BLUNT, Mixdown and, of course, Australian Guitar (where she also serves as Editor-at-Large), but also less expected fare like TV Soap and Snowboarding Australia. Her go-to guitar is a Fender Player Tele, which, controversially, she only picked up after she'd joined the team at Australian Guitar. Before then, Ellie was a keyboardist – thankfully, the AG crew helped her see the light…