It's a Big World Out There (And I Am Scared)
| It's a Big World Out There (And I Am Scared) | ||||
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| EP by Kurt Vile and the Violators | ||||
| Released | November 13, 2013 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock | |||
| Length | 29:33 | |||
| Language | English | |||
| Label | Matador Records | |||
| Producer | Kurt Vile & the Violators, Rob Laakso & John Agnello | |||
| Kurt Vile and the Violators chronology | ||||
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It's a Big World Out There (And I Am Scared) is an EP by American indie rock band Kurt Vile and the Violators, released on November 19, 2013 on Matador Records.[1] The EP is the second to be credited to both Vile and his backing band, and is included on the deluxe edition of Vile's fifth studio album, Wakin on a Pretty Daze: Deluxe Daze (Post Haze).
Regarding the release, Vile noted: "It's more of like a psychedelic journey that's a companion piece to the style of [Wakin on a Pretty Daze], than an EP that just stands on its own."[2]
Background and recording
It's a Big World Out There (And I Am Scared) was mostly recorded during the same sessions as Kurt Vile's fifth studio album, Wakin on a Pretty Daze, and includes variations on the tracks, "Never Run Away", "Snowflakes Are Dancing" and "Air Bud".
Regarding the track, "Feel My Pain", Vile noted, "[The song is a] stripped-down, ominous folk number, exceptionally meticulous in its finger-picked arrangement, [it] has since become a favorite of mine for all its rawness."[3] He later elaborated: "I always loved ["Feel My Pain"]. And we tried to put that on [Wakin on a Pretty Daze], and we added all these tracks to it, making it more in that epic fashion. But something was lost to me, it seemed like more of a ghostly, stripped-down folk affair. So that was something of substance that I put on [the EP]."[2]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Never Run Away (string synth)" | 3:25 |
| 2. | "NRA Reprise" | 1:34 |
| 3. | "Feel My Pain" | 6:20 |
| 4. | "Snowflakes Extended" | 5:42 |
| 5. | "Wedding Budz" | 4:15 |
| 6. | "The Ghost Of Freddie Roach" | 6:23 |
| 7. | "(reprise reprise)" | `1:54 |
Personnel
Kurt Vile and the Violators
- Kurt Vile - vocals, guitars, synth (1), arp odyssey (2), percussion (4), Yamaha CS-50 (5), slide guitar (6), keyboards (6)
- Rob Laakso - bass guitar (1, 3, 5), synth programming (2), linn drums (3), percussion (3), drum machine (5)
- Jesse Trbovich - electric guitar (4)
Additional musicians
- Vince Nudo - drums (2)
- Stella Mozgawa - drums and percussion (1)
- Michael Johnson - drums and synth (4)
- Farmer Dave Scher - melodica (4)
- John Agnello - drum machine and percussion (6)
Recording personnel
- Kurt Vile - producer
- Rob Laakso - producer (1, 2, 3, 5 and 7), overdubbing (1), recording (2 and 7), mixing (1, 2, 3, 5 and 7), engineer (5)
- John Agnello - producer (4 and 6), initial drum and acoustic guitar recording (1), recording (3), engineer and mixing (6)
- The Violators - producer (4)
- Ted Young - assistant engineer
- Bryce Gonzales - assistant engineer
- Jonathan Low - assistant engineer
- Greg Calbi - mastering
- Steve Fallone - mastering assistant
Artwork
- Steve Powers - cover art
- Adam Wallacavage - cover photograph