Kurt Vile & The Violators, Bad Sauna

Kurt Vile is both the Bruce Springsteen and the Neil Young of the new generation. He’s an original artist whose flannel shirt and long hair are a sign of earthy carelessness, but his lyrics reveal a serious artist. Vile simultaneously channels the street credibility of a marginal artist and the unpretentious air of an arena rock star. 

The same unaffectedness can also be experienced in Vile’s music, which mixes rock with psychedelic pop and country influences. The singer-songwriter is not going to kill himself playing the guitar, so his audience can also take it easy. The Violators, his backing band of multi-instrumentalists, are like a musical tonic.

It’s a rare treat to see Kurt Vile in such an intimate venue as Huvila, especially now that he’s about to release a new album following a four-year wait.