"Loading Zones" is a song by American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

musician

Kurt Vile Kurt Samuel Vile (born January 3, 1980) 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 li ...

, released as the first single from his 2018 album ''

Bottle It In ''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. The album ...

''. 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.

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. He wrote the song as an ode to his hometown. The lines "Sure they knighted me yesterday" and "by mayoral decree" refer to his being given the key to the city. Vile said that the song's various metaphors are very loose and "not too scientific".

Critical reception

The song was acclaimed by ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' 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 The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...

". '' Pitchfork'' expressed approval for the optimistic and easily identifiable lyrics, as well as the "low-key psychedelic riffage."

Promotion

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

Music video

The music video was released on August 16, 2018, and features Vile driving around

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, where he was raised, eluding the

meter maid A parking enforcement officer (PEO),United S ...

s in comedic fashion. The meter maids were played by American actor

Kevin Corrigan Kevin Corrigan (born ) is an American character actor. He has appeared mostly in independent films and television since the 1990s, including as Uncle Eddie on the sitcom ''Grounded for Life'' (2001–2005). His film appearances include support ...

and

Pissed Jeans 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 has released several seven singles ...

frontman Matt Korvette.

Personnel

*Kurt Vile - lead and backing vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, harmonica ;The Violators *

Rob Laakso Rob Laakso is an American musician, record producer and engineer, best known as the recording partner of indie rock musician Kurt Vile, and as a multi-instrumentalist in his backing band The Violators. Laakso is also a multi-instrumentalist in the ...

- bass, Farfisa synthesizer, backing vocal *Kyle Spence - drums *Jesse Trbovich - electric guitar ;Additional musicians *Joe Kennedy - backing vocal *

Eric D. Johnson Eric Donald Johnson (born June 7, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the leader and sole permanent member of the influential folk-rock band Fruit Bats, and for his tenure as a member o ...

- backing vocal *Margaret Yen - backing vocal *Farrah Katina - backing vocal *Robert Robinson - backing vocal

Charts

References

2018 songs 2018 singles Matador Records singles {{2018-single-stub