I have a complicated relationship with the City of Brotherly Love. It’s a place that is important to multiple relatives and close friends (OG Brad being prominent among the latter). But then, moments like this make me extremely happy in ways words can’t describe:
(This Substack is mostly about music, but I gotta be me – let’s go Knicks!)
Much like my man Mitchell Robinson, I enjoy dunking on Philly. On the other hand, some of my favorite bands of recent years came out of Philadelphia, which truly has a vibrant indie rock scene. For example:
Or this:
Not to mention this:
The point is, Philly’s pro basketball team may be injured and crumpled on the ground, but its indie rock scene is absolutely cooking.
Kurt Vile has been the avatar for Philly slacker indie rock for some time, first as a guitarist with The War on Drugs and then a solo artist in the late 2000s. His three-album run from 2011 to 2015 – Smoke Ring for My Halo, Wakin on a Pretty Daze, b’lieve i’m goin down… – is considered his creative and critical peak, and he followed that up with a well-received album and tour with Courtney Barnett.
Vile’s latest album, Philadelphia’s been good to me (released May 29) is an ode to his hometown and stands among his best work.
