Kurt Vile is about to release his second major album, following 2022’s ‘(watch my moves)’. ‘Zoom 97’ is not only a great piece of lofi feel-good rock, but also the opening track to ‘Philadelphia’s Been Good To Me’. Thanks to its fun adlibs and beautiful lyrics, it is the Song of the Day.
The American singer-songwriter and guitarist says that ‘Zoom 97’ is “the first song we did for the album and that we knew was really special.” Kurt Vile sings about the quiet life in Philadelphia, referring in the lyrics to his own car “zig zagging” down Lincoln Drive or to his daughters, who keep him “high”: “This is no tripe / True love is the purest drug for me.”
‘Zoom 97’ is one of those songs that sounds like summer and backyard barbecue, but instead of painting these types of images, Vile opts for self-referentiality. So, build a song that begins by talking about the same song you’re listening to: “I wrote a song / Some people said I was doing it wrong / But look at my hands / My ringing chords on a Goldtone mandolin.” The same one that sounds throughout the song.
