Kurt Vile And The Violators w/ Ryan Davis + The Roadhouse Band

KURT VILE AND THE VIOLATORS
Released in God’s year of 2026, the 250th anniversary of the founding of America in Kurt Vile’s fine city of Philadelphia, Philadelphia’s been good to me finds one of our nation’s greatest songwriters staking a claim on his hometown. “This is my ‘bringing it all back home to Philly’ record,” Vile says. “I’m treating it like my last one. I put everything into it. It’s my best vocal record. It’s my best electric guitar record. It’s my most organic record, made in the comfort of my own zone.”

Largely self-produced, with assists from Adam Langellotti, keys wiz Matthew Jugenheimer, drummer Kyle Spence, guitarist Jesse Trbovrich, and longtime Violators boardsman Rob Schnapf, the record embodies Vile’s understanding of music as a conversation between people across time and space. The title track is an ode to his hometown that doubles as an homage to Tom Petty’s homage to California. The barn-burning “Chance to Bleed” features guest spots from Memphis OGs Natalie Hoffman and Greg Cartwright but boasts a music video proudly shot at the Philly venue Kung Fu Necktime and features a cameo by local legend Schoolly D. “You Don’t Know Cuz It’s My Life” is Kurt’s take on a stadium anthem, building up to a laid-back yet triumphant chant of “I’m from Phil-a-del-phiaaaaaaah!” that you can imagine a crowd of Eagles fans screaming along to, Twisted Teas pointed towards the heavens.

Make no mistake: Philadelphia’s been good to me is the sound of Philly’s constant hitmaker coming back to kick ass, son the haters, and put on for the City of Brotherly Love — and in true Kurt Vile fashion, doing so while sounding more relaxed than ever. Between the 250th anniversary of America and its hosting of select World Cup games, 2026 is shaping up to be a big deal for Philadelphia. “And then there’s one other thing,” Vile says. “I gotta be that third thing. Because I am Philadelphia. I gotta own it. I gotta rise to the occasion.”

RYAN DAVIS + THE ROADHOUSE BAND
New Threats from the Soul is a masterclass in reducing the sublime to the prosaic, immensity to infinitesimally, and vice versa (the trick can only work both ways). Everything in our universe is essentially flotsam or jetsam, rubbish heaps of fragments and shards. We, especially, are jerry-rigs of bubblegum and driftwood, inconsistencies and incoherencies, dead dreams and necrophagous hopes. The record functions in parallel with Kafka’s winking dictum that there is an infinite amount of hope in the universe, just not for us. New Threats suggests that maybe, just maybe, something like redemption is possible, but only once we’re entirely emptied out and hawked in toto down at Walden Pawn.

Next month, the Roadhouse Band will play a handful of dates in the Midwest and South, with a robust UK and EU tour to follow. Today’s newly announced dates will bring the band to additional cities in the South and Midwest, as well as cities on the West Coast. A full list of dates is available below.

“New Threats from the Soul [is] a beautiful and wildly smart record about making do in an upside-down world.” — Amanda Petsurich, The New Yorker

“If you don’t know it yet, it’s my privilege to tell you that Ryan Davis is one of the greatest songwriters of his generation.” — Nathan Salsberg