Kurt Vile (watch my moves) 2LP

On his first album in partnership with Verve Records which he signed to in 2021, Kurt Vile pulls his talents as a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer in unexpected directions - and the result is a vibrant yet meditative record propelled by laid-back charm and curious spirit.

"My albums always progress from one to the next just by me getting older physically and spiritually," Vile told NME of the 15 track LP. "I think my last record [2018's Bottle It In] was pretty epic, and on this one I've had even more time to make it. I've got the energy of a new label, and I don't feel as much in a rush. I recorded more than enough songs and then just put all the best ones on this album, so it's perfect."

The songs on Kurt Vile's latest album are patient and methodical, building gradually as the lyrics descend from a general premise - say, getting on a plane or chilling in the practice space - to casual observations of what's happening in the music itself: narrating the mood before receding into a tranquil guitar solo or dreamy coda that feels like the payoff for a long day's work... The deeper Vile gets into his career, the more his creative process seems to blend with the results. On (watch my moves), he invites us to follow the introspective journey from the spark of an idea to its steady pursuit to its contented fadeout, knowing the next flash of inspiration could be just on the other side.

Many of Vile's albums are lengthy statements, and (Watch My Moves)'s 15 tracks and hour-plus runtime follow suit, but the blend of manicured production details and Vile's commitment to follow every idea wherever it leads makes the album feel more epic. The sounds will be familiar (even comforting) to longtime fans, but there are so many unpredictable turns and head-scratching moments that Vile ends up taking his music somewhere new by approaching the same kind of songwriting he's been doing since he started from unlikely angles.