Kurt Vile: Square Shells EP

Kurt Vile: Square Shells EP

Kurt Vile sort of burst out of no where in 2009 with Childish Prodigy, an album of blissfully grungy folk songs that squeezed on to my favorite albums of the year. He is at it again in 2010 with his band The Violators (awesome). May 25 sees the release of Vile's Square Shells EP and according to Matador, the band is currently working on a full length follow up set to hit stores in the fall.

Square Shells finds Vile in the same stylistic territory as Childish Prodigy, which means lots of distorted, lo-fi folk sounds and rambling not-quite-sober vocals. Its a pretty long EP considering the fact that its sandwiched between two full-lengths. Opener "Ocean City" is one of Vile's more immediate, anthemic folk ballads and is followed by the fantastic "Invisibility: Nonexistent", a long track that floats for seven minutes and seems to fall in and out of consciousness, one minute a catchy pop tune, the next a tripped out elongated psychedelic gem. I highly recommend this EP as well as last year's full length.

Kurt Vile :: Invisibility: Nonexistent (From Square Shells EP [2010])

Kurt Vile :: Overnite Religion (From Childish Prodigy [2009])