Daily Dose: Kurt Vile, “Bassackwards”

Daily Dose is your daily source for the song you absolutely, positively need to hear every day. Curated by the Paste Music Team.

Last month, Kurt Vile released his first new single since 2015, “Loading Zones,” and today, Sept. 10, he’s giving the people what they want by wheeling out a new album. Bottle It In, due out on Oct. 12 via Matador Records, will be Vile’s first LP since 2015’s b’lieve i’m goin down…., and the Philly singer-songwriter has shared another new song alongside today’s announcement, the gorgeous, nine-plus-minute epic “Bassackwards.”

Vile recorded “Bassackwards” with engineer and producer Shawn Everett at The Beer Hole in Los Angeles, and his Bottle It In bio describes the track as “the album’s beating heart and Vile’s most compelling evocation of how he sees the world.” Vile is of two minds—and sometimes none at all—on the song, singing, “I was on the beach but / I was thinking about the bay / got to the bay but by then I was far away,” over dreamy backmasked guitars and gentle acoustic strums. The polarized instrumentation fits perfectly with the song’s refusal to settle on one direction—”Bassackwards” moves two ways at once, leaving us wondering which way is true North, or if there even is one.

Listen to “Bassackwards” below (or via your streamer of choice here), revisit “Loading Zones” here, and keep scrolling for the Bottle It In tracklist and album art, plus Vile’s tour slate. You can preorder the record right here.

Bottle It In Album Art:

Bottle It In Tracklist:
01. Loading Zones
02. Hysteria
03. Yeah Bones
04. Bassackwards
05. One Trick Ponies
06. Rollin With The Flow (Charlie Rich cover)
07. Check Baby
08. Bottle It In
09. Mutinies
10. Come Again
11. Cold Was The Wind
12. Skinny Mini
13. (bottle back)

Kurt Vile Tour Dates:

October
12 – Hamburg, Germany @ Grünspan ^
13 – Gothenburg, Sweden @ Pustervik ^
14 – Oslo, Norway @ Rockefeller #
15 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Bern #
16 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Vega #
18 – Berlin, Germany @ Huxleys #
19 – Munich, Germany @ Muffathalle #
20 – Zurich, Switzerland @ X-Tra #
21 – Lyon, France @ Epicerie Moderne #
22 – Barcelona, Spain @ Apolo #
23 – Madrid, Spain @ Teatro Barceló #
25 – Lisbon, Spain @ Lisboa Ao Vivo #
26 – Porto, Portugal @ Hard Club #
27 – Bilbao, Spain @ BIME Festival #
28 – Bordeaux, France @ Theatre Barbey #
29 – Paris, France @ La Cigale #
30 – Brussels, Belgium @ Autumn Falls @ AB #

November
01 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso #
02 – Köln, Germany @ Kantine #
03 – Groningen, Netherlands @ Take Root Festival
05 – Brighton, U.K. @ Concorde 2 #
06 – London, U.K. @ Shepherd’s Bush Empire #
07 – London, U.K. @ Shepherd’s Bush Empire #
08 – Bristol, U.K. @ St Philips Gate #
09 – Birmingham, U.K. @ The Crossing #
10 – Manchester, U.K. @ Albert Hall #
11 – Leeds, U.K. @ 02 Academy #
13 – Glasgow, U.K. @ 02 ABC #
14 – Dublin, Ireland @ Vicar Street #
15 – Belfast, U.K. @ The Limelight #
24 – Boston, Mass. @ House of Blues *
28 – Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Brooklyn Steel *
30 – Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club *

December
03 – Atlanta, Ga. @ Variety Playhouse *
05 – Oklahoma City, Okla. @ Jones Assembly *
06 – Austin, Texas @ ACL Live at The Moody Theater *
07 – Dallas, Texas @ Canton Hall *
09 – San Diego, Calif. @ The Observatory North Park *
11 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Wiltern *
12 – Oakland, Calif. @ Fox Theatre *
14 – Portland, Ore. @ Crystal Ballroom *
15 – Seattle, Wash. @ Moore Theatre *
16 – Vancouver, B.C. @ Commodore Ballroom *
19 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ First Avenue *
20 – Madison, Wis. @ Sylvee *
21 – Milwaukee, Wis. @ Turner Hall *
22 – Chicago, Ill. @ Riviera Theatre *
29 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ The Metropolitan Opera House %

February
14 – Burlington, Vt. @ Higher Ground +
15 – Montreal, Que. @ Mtelus +
16 – Toronto, Ont. @ Danforth Music Hall +
19 – Detroit, Mich. @ Majestic Theatre +
20 – Cincinnati, Ohio @ Taft Theatre +
21 – Indianapolis, Ind. @ The Vogue +
22 – Louisville, Ky. @ Headliners +
23 – Bloomington, Ill. @ Castle Theatre +
24 – St. Louis, Mo. @ Pageant +
26 – Omaha, Neb. @ The Slowdown +
27 – Kansas City, Mo. @ Truman +
28 – Denver, Colo. @ Ogden Theatre +

March
01 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot +
02 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ TBD
03 – Las Vegas, Nev. @ House Of Blues +
05 – Tucson, Ariz. @ Rialto Theatre +
06 – Santa Fe, N.M. @ Meow Wolf +
08 – New Braunfels, Texas @ Gruene Hall +
09 – Houston, Texas @ White Oak Music Hall +
10 – New Orleans, La. @ Civic Theatre +
12 – Orlando, Fla. @ The Beacham +
13 – Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. @ Revolution Live +
15 – Birmingham, Ala. @ Saturn +
16 – Nashville, Tenn. @ Ryman Auditorium +
17 – Richmond, Va. @ The National +

April
15 – Sydney, New South Wales @ Enmore &
16 – Wallongong, New South Wales @ Unibar &
17 – Canberra, New South Wales @ ANU &
18 – Byron Bay, New South Wales @ Byron Bay Bluesfest
20 – Byron Bay, New South Wales @ Byron Bay Bluesfest
22 – Melbourne, Victoria @ The Forum &
27 – Adelaide, South Australia @ The Gov &
28 – Perth, Western Australia @ Rosemount Carpark &

(^ denotes w/ Meg Baird [solo])
(# denotes w/ Meg Baird & Mary Lattimore)
(* denotes w/ Jessica Pratt)
(% denotes w/ The Feelies)
(+ denotes w/ The Sadies)
(& denotes w/ RVG)