Album: Kurt Vile - Back to Moon Beach

Back to Moon Beach is a collection of new, reworked and covered songs that feels like a gift from Kurt Vile for his fans to dissect. He jokingly refers to the EP, which is just under an hour long, as “a KV comp”, an appropriate description given the varied history of the tracks.

It’s not long before the first single “Another Good Year for the Roses” is momentarily forgotten in favour of Vile’s take on Bob Dylan’s Christmas song “It Must Be Santa”, which in turn is left behind for the reworked version of his 2022 track “Cool Water”.

Although not unified in the way one might expect had this been an album, the sound is very consistent with Vile’s existing music. He even references the “recycled riffs” that “ain’t going anywhere anytime soon” in the title track, a comforting acknowledgment of what this EP is for fans. The singer-songwriter proudly blends folk and country vibes with psychedelia and shares these songs from his back pocket as if warmly inviting you further into his creative processes.

Familiar but intimate, Vile’s drawled vocals are illuminated by the stories that his lyrics tell, and the subdued tempo of the EP is punctuated with moments of alt-rock bliss. It feels like a comfortable walk on a known route but with a backdrop of hidden gems waiting to be noticed. Whether it’s the “glorious pain” described in “Touched Something (Caught a Virus)” that catches your attention, or the psychedelic mashup that title track “Back to Moon Beach” descends into for its final three minutes, there are undeniably many moments to stop and look twice at.

The catchy, repetitive beats and calm energy maintained throughout the tracks make Back to Moon Beach an enjoyable listen, but it certainly doesn’t lack in depth or emotion for those who want to find it.

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