Kurt Vile (born January 3, 1980, in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania) is an American indie rock singer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist based in Philadelphia. He co-founded The War on Drugs with Adam Granduciel in 2005 before focusing on his solo work as Kurt Vile & the Violators. His 2013 breakthrough Wakin on a Pretty Daze brought his hazy, psychedelic folk-rock to a wide audience, and he has since released ten studio albums, most recently Philadelphia's been good to me (2026).
Kurt Vile released his tenth studio album Philadelphia's been good to me on May 29, 2026 on Verve Forecast Records; critics have called it one of the best of his career.
Kurt Vile & the Violators performed as the opening act on Pixies' North American tour in summer 2025.
Vile released the EP Classic Love on July 25, 2025 in collaboration with Nashville songwriter Luke Roberts on Verve Records.
In November 2023, the extensive EP Back to Moon Beach was released on Verve Records, containing new compositions, covers, and reworked versions of older songs.
In February 2023, Rob Laakso, a longtime member of The Violators and close collaborator of Vile, passed away.
