Loading Zones

Last updated
"Loading Zones"
Kurt Vile - Loading Zones.png
Single by Kurt Vile
from the album Bottle It In
ReleasedAugust 16, 2018 (2018-08-16)
Format Digital download
Length3:23
Label Matador
Songwriter(s) Kurt Vile
Producer(s) Kurt Vile, The Violators, Peter Katis
Kurt Vile singles chronology
"I'm an Outlaw"
(2016)		"Loading Zones"
(2018)		"Bassackwards"
(2018)
Music video
"Loading Zones" on YouTube

"Loading Zones" is a song by American indie rock musician Kurt Vile, released as the first single from his 2018 album Bottle It In . Though the song's title refers to Vile's bragging about his skill at parking in restricted areas without receiving a parking ticket, it is more generally an ode to his hometown of Lansdowne, Pennsylvania.

Indie rock is a genre of rock music that originated in the United States and United Kingdom in the 1970s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produced and was initially used interchangeably with alternative rock. As grunge and punk revival bands in the US and Britpop bands in the UK broke into the mainstream in the 1990s, it came to be used to identify those acts that retained an outsider and underground perspective. In the 2000s, as a result of changes in the music industry and the growing importance of the Internet, some indie rock acts began to enjoy commercial success, leading to questions about its meaningfulness as a term.

Kurt Vile American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer

Kurt Samuel Vile is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He is known for his solo work and as the former lead guitarist of rock band The War on Drugs. Both in the studio and during live performances, Vile is accompanied by his backing band, The Violators, which currently includes Jesse Trbovich, Rob Laakso and Kyle Spence (drums).

<i>Bottle It In</i> 2018 studio album by Kurt Vile

Bottle It In is the eighth studio album by American musician Kurt Vile, released on October 12, 2018 through Matador Records. It features contributions from Kim Gordon, Cass McCombs, Stella Mozgawa of Warpaint, and Mary Lattimore.

Contents

Background and writing

Kurt Vile wrote the song during the recording sessions for B'lieve I'm Goin Down... , but would not record it until more than two years later. [1] He wrote the song as an ode to his hometown. [1] [2] The lines "Sure they knighted me yesterday" and "by mayoral decree" refer to his being given the key to the city. [2]

<i>Blieve Im Goin Down...</i> 2015 studio album by Kurt Vile

b'lieve i'm goin down... is the sixth studio album by American indie rock musician Kurt Vile, released on September 25, 2015 on Matador Records. A deluxe edition, b'lieve i'm goin (deep) down..., featuring six additional tracks, was released on the same day.

Vile said that the song's various metaphors are very loose and "not too scientific". [2]

Critical reception

The song was acclaimed by Rolling Stone for its "layered guitar gorgeousness" that sounds like "a meld of languid gothic-folk fingerpicking, watery strumming and some weirdly soulful talkboxy wah-wah jive that suggests Joe Walsh by way of Future". [3] Pitchfork expressed approval for the optimistic and easily identifiable lyrics, as well as the "low-key psychedelic riffage." [4]

<i>Rolling Stone</i> American magazine focusing on popular culture, based in New York City

Rolling Stone is an American monthly magazine that focuses on popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California in 1967 by Jann Wenner, who is still the magazine's publisher, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its musical coverage and for political reporting by Hunter S. Thompson. In the 1990s, the magazine shifted focus to a younger readership interested in youth-oriented television shows, film actors, and popular music. In recent years, it has resumed its traditional mix of content, including music, entertainment, and politics.

Joe Walsh American musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor

Joseph Fidler Walsh is an American rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In a career spanning more than 50 years, he has been a member of five successful rock bands: James Gang, Barnstorm, Eagles, the Party Boys, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band. Walsh was also part of the New Zealand band Herbs. In the 1990s, he was a member of the short-lived supergroup The Best.

Future (rapper) American rapper and singer from Georgia

Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn, known professionally as Future, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Wilburn first became involved in music as part of the Dungeon Family collective, where he was nicknamed "the Future". After amassing a series of mixtapes between 2010 and 2011, Future signed a major record label deal with Epic Records and Rocko's A1 Recordings, which helped launch Future's own label imprint, Freebandz. He subsequently released his debut album, Pluto, in April 2012 to positive reviews. Future's second album, Honest, was released in April 2014, surpassing his debut on the album charts.

Promotion

Vile promoted the release of the song by mailing fans envelopes marked "Violators" that contained fake parking tickets. [5] Some were also placed on car windshields. [5]

Music video

The music video was released on August 16, 2018, and features Vile driving around Philadelphia, where he was raised, eluding the meter maids in comedic fashion. [6] The meter maids were played by American actor Kevin Corrigan and Pissed Jeans frontman Matt Korvette. [7]

Philadelphia Largest city in Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, known colloquially as Philly, is the largest city in the U.S. state and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the sixth-most populous U.S. city, with a 2018 census-estimated population of 1,584,138. Since 1854, the city has had the same geographic boundaries as Philadelphia County, the most populous county in Pennsylvania and the urban core of the eighth-largest U.S. metropolitan statistical area, with over 6 million residents as of 2017. Philadelphia is also the economic and cultural anchor of the greater Delaware Valley, located along the lower Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers, within the Northeast megalopolis. The Delaware Valley's population of 7.2 million ranks it as the eighth-largest combined statistical area in the United States.

Kevin Corrigan American actor

Kevin Fitzgerald Corrigan is an American actor. He has appeared mostly in independent films and television since the 1990s, including the role of Uncle Eddie on the sitcom Grounded for Life (2001–2005). His film appearances have included a supporting role in The Departed (2006) and co-starring roles in Big Fan (2009) and Results (2015).

Pissed Jeans is an American hardcore punk band from Allentown, Pennsylvania. The band claims to play "loud, heavy, noisy, punk rock" and is influenced by 1980s hardcore punk and post-hardcore bands. The band have released several 7" singles and four albums, and are currently signed to Sub Pop. In March 2013, Pissed Jeans was named one of Fuse TV's 30 must-see artists at SXSW.

Personnel

The Violators
Additional musicians

Charts

Chart (2018)Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders) [8] 28
US Adult Alternative Songs ( Billboard ) [9] 4

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References

  1. 1 2 Konemann, Liam (October 15, 2018). "Kurt Vile: Life Is Beautiful and Terrifying and Hilarious". Dork . Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 Rindner, Grant. "Kurt Vile Breaks Down "Loading Zones" on Genius' Series 'Verified'". Genius . Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  3. ↑ Dolan, Joe (August 16, 2018). "Song You Need to Know: Kurt Vile 'Loading Zones'" . Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  4. ↑ Reese, Nathan (August 16, 2018). "Loading Zones by Kurt Vile Review". Pitchfork . Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  5. 1 2 Bloom, Madison (August 16, 2018). "Kurt Vile Returns With New Song 'Loading Zones': Listen". Pitchfork . Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  6. ↑ McKenna, Lindsey (August 16, 2018). "Kurt Vile Parks For Free In 'Loading Zones'". NPR. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  7. ↑ Schatz, Lake (August 16, 2018). "Kurt Vile Returns with "Loading Zones", his First New Song in Three Years: Stream". Consequence of Sound . Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  8. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Kurt Vile – Loading Zones" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Kurt Vile Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
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