Kurt Vile Announces New Album, ‘Philadelphia’s Been Good To Me’
The songwriter unveiled the project’s first single, ‘Chance to Bleed.’
Kurt Vile has announced that his new album, Philadelphia’s been good to me, is set to be released on May 29 via Verve. To celebrate the news, Vile has unveiled the project’s first single, “Chance to Bleed.” Additionally, he has shared details of his 2026 world tour, including a show in his hometown of Philadelphia at The Dell as part of Connor Barwin’s Make The World Better concert series, alongside co-headliners Pavement.
“This is my ‘bringing it all back home to Philly’ record,” Vile explained. “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.”
“Chance to Bleed” features guest vocals from Natalie Hoffman, Ethan Buckler, and Greg Cartwright, who also handles co-lead guitar alongside Vile. The accompanying music video was filmed at famed Fishtown music venue Kung Fu Necktie, and features cameos from comedian Jim E Brown and Schoolly D.
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The album cover is a photo from William Eggleston, which was given as a gift to Vile by the photographer’s son, Winston.
Vile recorded the album from late 2023 to early 2026, making it, he said, in “an inspired state of flux.” He recorded the majority of the album in his home basement studio, dubbed “OKV Central” or “Overnight KV.”
Vile handled most of the production himself and recruited friends like Kurt Vile and the Violators bassist Adam Langellotti, keyboardist Matthew Jugenheimer, drummer Kyle Spence, guitarist Jesse Trbovrich, and Rob Schnapf.
“I’ve been waiting for that kinda natural element to show up again in my recordings, like the old home recording days,” Vile said about the album. “I think I finally caught that again, but in a higher fidelity; it’s never overly polished, but it’s still pretty damn shimmery.”
Last we heard from Vile was in 2025, when he teamed up with Nashville songwriter Luke Roberts on a collaborative EP entitled Classic Love.
