Even though other formats are only up for pre-order now via Matator Records, the download is available to buy now. And that's why I'm going ahead and reviewing the new Kurt Vile EP, Speed, Sound, Lonely KV EP, the artist's latest release.
Opening with a cover of "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness" by the late John Prine, Vile settles into an affecting groove here. A cover of "Cowboy" Jack Clement's "Gone Girl" works well when sat down next to Vile's original "Dandelions", a slightly upbeat number. Still, the obvious center of this EP is a duet with the late John Prine. "How Lucky" is necessarily elegiac, but it's also warm. It's one of the loveliest tracks you'll likely hear in 2020, frankly, and a real highlight now in Kurt Vile's own catalog.
Speed, Sound, Lonely KV EP features members of The Black Keys and Chavez, but it's the production by Dave Ferguson that allows the numbers here space to breathe. Kurt Vile's intimate performances here are buttressed by a naturalness in the recording that gives this the sort of authenticity that classic country performances had, which makes perfect sense given that Ferguson worked with Johnny Cash and others.
Speed, Sound, Lonely KV EP is out now via Matador Records.
More details on Kurt Vile via the official website.
[Photo: Matador Records]