PHILADELPHIA — Kurt Vile is the face of Philadelphia indie-rock, from his “Wakin on a Pretty Daze” mural in Fishtown to the sense of place that runs through Philly-proud songs like “Loading Zones” and “Mount Airy Hill (Way Gone).”
In a career that stretches back 15 years to his 2008 "Constant Hitmaker" debut, the beloved Lansdowne-born guitarist has built an impressive body of work but scored only one true hit in conventional popularity terms. That would be “Pretty Pimpin,” the ingeniously Zen understated bop, that country star Keith Urban once put on a five-songs-I wish-I’d-written list.
This month, “Pretty Pimpin” achieved a milestone when it crossed the threshold of 100 million streams on Spotify, more than twice the number of Vile’s second-highest streamer “Wakin on a Pretty Day.” To honor the achievement, Matador Records, the record label that released the song on Vile’s 2015 album, "B’lieve I’m Goin Down," sent him a unique congratulatory gift: a cheesesteak sculpture.
