Originally gaining notoriety in the early 2000s with the indie rock band The War on Drugs, Kurt Vile has been making music for well over a decade. If there’s one constant throughout his large discography, it’s his unique vocal and lyrical style. Instead of pushing for overly thought-out and pretentious lyrics like so many others in his genre, Vile makes an effort to create relatable and authentic songs with his signature wandering lyrics and almost lazy vocal delivery.
“Bottle It In” is Vile fully leaning into this style, but in ways he hasn’t done before. His previous albums felt like they were geared more toward the music and jams themselves rather than creating a feeling through his words. “Bottle It In” has a ton of emotional lyrics nestled in between the beautiful guitar melodies and Vile’s comedic rants —this makes the album his most introspective one yet.
Instrumentation wise, “Bottle It In” somehow feels organic (much like his previous two albums) and experimental at the same time. Some of the tracks feature psychedelic synthesizers, and Vile even brings in a harp on a couple songs. Vile’s guitar work continues to be as fantastic as ever. “Skinny Mini,” perhaps the most experimental song on the record, is over 10 minutes long and features lo-fi production, droning synths and heavy reverb. While “Skinny Mini” is a little too long, you have to appreciate Vile’s attempt to deviate from his traditional song structures and create something unique.
As for standout songs, “Bassackwards” is the peak of the record. It’s a meandering 10-minute, psych folk-rock song with complex instrumentation and personal lyrics like, “But the sun went down and I couldn’t find another one / For a while / To fill the void.” “Check Baby” features clever lyrics and an incredibly menacing finger-picked electric guitar melody. The lead single “Loading Zones” is an incredibly catchy tune.
Unfortunately, “Bottle It In” suffers from some pretty boring songs toward the end. The songs “Bottle It In” and “Skinny Mini” are far too long for their own good. These two tracks add over 20 minutes to an already long album. I enjoy Vile’s attempt to try something different, but it ends up making the album feel long-winded.
That being said, the front 75 percent of this album is legitimately great. The dense instrumentation, personal lyrics and experimental song structures make “Bottle It In” a unique record and a welcome addition to his already fantastic discography.
_Edited by Siena DeBolt | sdebolt@themaneater.com_