The eldest of 10 children, Kurt Vile grew up in a blue-collar Philadelphia neighborhood and originally supported himself as a struggling musician by driving a forklift at a local brewery. Mixing shaggy, lo-fi indie fuzz with an unabashed fondness for the classic rock sound of Neil Young and Tom Petty, Vile joined his best friend Adam Granduciel's band The War on Drugs for their first album before starting his solo career with 2008's Constant Hitmaker. Signing with Matador Records, Vile garnered bigger buzz with each release, culminating in 2013's acclaimed Wakin On a Pretty Daze.