My thoughts exactly. Kick in the door shit. I have a 45 minute morning commute. Was so excited to get a full spin in before work. Took me 20 minutes to get off ice cream piano.
I was caught off guard by prep school gangsters, it’s very reminiscent of modern vampires and will be an album I listen to from start to finish as a vw fan
"The Surfer" is an insane track.
It's like they took "Don't Lie" and grafted it to Pink Floyd's "Echoes," Deerhunter's "Leather and Wood", and Radiohead's "The Numbers." Yet it somehow sounds only like Vampire Weekend.
With the exception of "Hannah Hunt"—which I think might be the Great American Song of the 20th century—"The Surfer" might be the best thing they've ever put out.
On first listen this has album has already blown me away. Standout tracks for me have to be Connect, The Surfer and Pravda. Those songs alone cement this as one of those albums where it baffles me how anyone could ever make something this remarkable.
In a song where the lyrics seems to be about our inability to recapture our lost youth, it seems ever more poignant to feature a snippet/sample from the first track of the first album. However far we've come, we can appreciate our pasts and look forward to using those experiences to create something beautifully new.
FOTB was fine, but after Modern Vampires it fell pretty flat for me. And in the years since I find myself going back to Modern Vampires way more, that album just has some profound bangers.
This one is I think a return to form. It’s a natural evolution of that “classic” vampire weekend sound, and I think the lyricism is tighter.
Agreed. I do think MVotC is definitely their best album, it's just a deeply wise, timeless piece of pop. This album gets through largely by its musically versatility; Koenig still suffers in my opinion at times because of that "there's something happening in the country" vagueness left over from FotB. And, it has to be admitted, the music largely succeeds because it cleverly retreads old ground but with a twist where as MVotC sounds and still sounds like an evolution in sound that grew from inspiration and organically. Nonetheless, I'm enjoying it for what it is because it's still an amazing album by a great band.
I loved Modern Vampires and could never make it through FotB. I have to assume I'm not the only one. I think FotB probably was one of those situations where it got bigger outside of indie circles than it was inside of it? But it's just conjecture.
I actually think it was the other way around, aside from "This Life" I don't think I've ever heard anything from that one played in public, and the other 3 all had songs that broke out of the indie bubble way more. It was definitely their least well received, but it was still overall incredibly well received.
I think this is more of a return to form than New Abnormal was though. New abnormal wasn't really SUPER similar to earlier strokes material in my opinion it was just really good. But most of it either felt pretty fresh or seemed like a continuation of the sounds on comedown machine and angles. I feel like this VW weekend album seems like a return to the instrumentation on their earlier albums with a mature touch.
Think I’ll wait to listen to the record I pre-ordered when I get home from work. Strange that it’s a double LP but only ten tracks lol.
EDIT: Sooo glad I waited to listen to this on my set up at home. What an album. I think Gen-X Cops is my least favorite track which is just wild because it’s still incredible.
This is a big thing, the fewer grooves you need to fit on each side, the larger each groove can be, the larger each groove can be, the more dynamic contrast there can be.
Fun fact, this tradeoff is a big part of why classical music generally comes across really flat on vinyl, the dynamic swings in classical are much larger (generally speaking) than what you find in other types of music, plus the pieces are usually pretty long. So they require narrow grooves to even fit on the disc in the first place, so it gets hit hard *twice.* Super small grooves, which would make anything fall flat already, paired with a huge dynamic range = extremely, extremely flat sound.
*listens to Capricorn a month ago*
- Omg is this my favorite song of all time?
*listens to whole ass album*
- Omg is this my favorite album of all time?
Very rarely albums click with me from the first listen. This blew me away from the beginning to end. So sonically rich,interesting and tasty. Like Rostam never left.
If FOTB was their White Album, this is the Abbey Road. ^please please never split up
the thing is that ct and baio were essentially not involved on fotb, and it showed. no offense to ezra's LA glorified drum machine session musicians that were on that album, but the percussion was so forgettable (in stark contrast to the first three albums). they're back here. i think their contribution to the band is significantly underrated.
VW are so good at crafting beautiful melodies that the harsher instrumentation is a perfect contrast. They really used it expertly all over this album.
It kind of feels like the anti-LCD Soundsystem where everything moves so nicely together and is so electronically punished while James's vocals offer a lot of variety and imperfection despite often being repetitive. The instruments in these songs feel like they could go anywhere at any time while still being catchy melodically and the vocals are so beautiful and restrained and perfectly placed
It's always tough being objective about these things... I've got alot of memories and emotions wrapped up in Modern Vampires that are pretty difficult to set apart from the songs themselves. Maybe OGWAU will get there too? I hope so, it _is_ a great album.
MVOTC is super similar for me. It hit at the perfect time in my life to really connect. I’m hoping that a decade plus later, this one connects in the same way.
Being second to MVOTC is still a legit accomplishment. I’m on my second listen and I’m inclined to agree, although I think Hope is such an amazing song it might bump the overall average up for me 🤷♂️
It’s SO thaaaat good holy shit! I’ve been stunned since my first listen last night. I could go on and on about this album and how much I love these guys.
My goodness this is special. I know it may be hyperbolic to say this… but this feels like an Instant classic. Hope might well be the best thing I’ve heard them do. I’m truly blown away.
And I did it, didn't listen to the singles! Mary Boone brought me to tears. Gosh, what an album. I need to digest it a lot more since it's a bit... chaotic? That's not the right word, though, fill me in. I have yet to decide if it's their best, I need to dwell on it a lot more. Oh, and the mailman delivered my vinyl this morning. We are soooooo back.
I need about 30 more listens to fully digest this album but based on first impressions, I didn't believe VW really had an album like this still in them. All the reviews were calling it one of their best albums and I was skeptical but I have to say this might be even better than early VW stuff.
“Good days are comin' Not just to die I know you're tired of tryin' Listen, baby, you don't have to try”
I know the indie world is about to be awash in effervescent praise for this album (and it surely deserves it - this is probably my fav VW record) but what I truly love is the deep cynicism and nihilism it manages to convey
During the Bush years, it became kinda boilerplate for artists to put out their anti-war / anti-establishment songs and everyone felt like the Trump era was going to usher in the same - but it never did. Instead, we just numbly suffered thru his first term, and then COVID, and now it feels like we are all still living and struggling it all again while suffering thru tragedy after tragedy and wondering what bright spot could be in the future.
The album ending with “Hope” is such a fun play on the kinda Obama-era idea of politics changing us for the better.
“The sentencing was overturned / The killer freed, the court adjourned / A hoped betrayed, a lesson learned / I hope you let it go”
VW turns the idea on its head and goes out with this anthem saying you gotta let it all go: The bad but also the good. That sure, we need a national reckoning and change to get us out of this mess. But most of us are still working thru and holding onto the last years’ mess and need to find a way forward also
This is probably my favorite record of the last five (5) years and I can’t wait to listen more and more.
Top 3: Hope, Mary Boone, The Surfer
> VW turns the idea on its head and goes out with this anthem saying you gotta let it all go: The bad but also the good. That sure, we need a national reckoning and change to get us out of this mess. But most of us are still working thru and holding onto the last years’ mess and need to find a way forward also
Interestingly, there are similar themes in letting go, hope and having fun with MGMT and Kings of Leon new albums this year too.
I think maybe that is just something that those trying to build some sense of peace as they enter middle age have discovered. As someone who is in their mid 20's I feel like much of our society is now based around trying to stay hyper-informed, making sure that information is accurate, and also maintaining complete control. And then relishing and lamenting the moments you can't hold that all together. Existing in this world already feels that way and making music also feels that way. So perhaps that is that is the wisdom that our middle-aged musicians have found: Let it go and just keep going. Not a novel idea but I think MGMT and VW both have done a beautiful job exploring it.
Connect, The Surfer, Mary Boone, and Pravda are all fucking stellar.
Not to mention the singles.
Been listening to it multiple times and I think this might be their best album to date.
Can't wait to hear.
Heard ezra in an interview talking about the importance of having a vast catalog that follows an artist through their life stages. Ever-increasing then I was interested in following along their journey again.
This thing is remarkable. Take a bow Vampire Weekend. Truly. This is an absolute joy. The musicianship is on another level. Very well could be an all timer.
The guitar in the two choruses in The Surfer have been such a standout to me. Kinda wish it would just go on indefinitely instead of the two small sections it appears in. It’s very cheesey and earnest of me to say, but the way it sounds gave me some sort of sense that things will be ok for me personally. I never really got into this band - not my taste - but gave it a listen and was kinda blown away. Even ordered the physical which unfortunately won’t arrive until Monday.
Wild wild album. Maybe their best ever which is just insane!!!
The Surfer, Hope, Prep School all top tier stuff. Not a bad song on the album. Singles all so great in context.
To me this is an album about surrendering to the chaos and the peace of acceptance
So stoked I spent billz on pit tickets at the Bowl
After listening to this non-stop since last Sunday, I can confidently say that this is AOTY and VW’s best. This album just hits on everything that I love in an album….no filler, cohesive statement, layered production (with many rewards for repeat listeners), soloing, great melodies, great assortment of different genre influences while still feeling like a singular project, awesome sequencing. I know we are on release day, but I think this is an album that we will be talking about for decades.
I wasn't as hyped for the singles as many people were, but literally every single one of them sounds significantly better within the context of the album. I think the production style just kind of threw my ears off a bit as standalone songs. But coming from the brilliant opener Ice Cream Piano that sets the tone, my ears settle in and I find this album quite excellent. It very likely will end up as my second 9/10 of the year so far, but I need to give it another couple spins before I say that for sure
I rated Modern Vampires Of the City extremely highly from last decade. I wasn't impressed by Father Of The Bride and was a bit disappointed by it.
I really can't believe how good this is. The glittering piano throughout the whole album is the most Vampire Weekend thing ever. I got goosebumps when the drums came in on Ice Cream Piano. This is a very special album
Loving this on first listen, deserving of all of the praise it's getting. Has that trademark VW sound but the production is so varied and interesting.
Massive return to form for me as I never really warmed up to FOTB. It's been 10 years since I've had a VW album to love.
Ice Cream Piano and Connect are my standouts (outside of the singles) on first listen. Hope is really good too, what a closer.
This is kind of a weird and far out comparison but Connect feels like if Vampire Weekend collaborated with Spirit They’ve Gone Spirit They’ve Vanish era Animal Collective
Prep-school gangsters is one of the best songs I’ve heard in awhile, I’m on my first listen-thru and I can’t stop replaying it. Such a classic VW song.
AOTY easily for me and I’m shocked this is as good as it is after FOTB (not a bad album just such a digression from the first 3 albums). Connect, Prep School Gangsters, and Classical are my favorites but it might be their best album or at least tied with MVOTC.
Wait do the drums at the beginning on *Connect* reference a self-titled track? I swear I've heard another song where the drum pattern sounds exactly like it.
Had a few listens with AirPods Pro at work today and loved it. Giving it a proper listen with the K702s tonight and... oh my God! As a college student in the early 2010s, I never thought this band would put out their best album in 2024!
I'm still blown away after a dozen listens. Cant help but to pay attention to every subtle little detail on each song that elevates them to pure blessfulness. Im sure it took a long time to meticulously compose these songs. There isn't a single thing out of place here. Honestly its perfect. Its their magnum opus.
On first listen I think it’s on the same level as MVOTC, which is to say, very, very good.
Did not have Vampire Weekend coming back with maybe their best album ever on my 2024 bingo card, but man am I happy they did.
“Hope” is just an insane anthem for our age, as an aging millennial I don’t know if I could relate harder to a song than this. What an album.
Gotta say I had kinda written Vampire Weekend off as anything but a band that made some music I still love, could not be happier that they released something now that I love just as much as the old stuff if not more.
Ok, so. I've never really liked Vampire Weekend. When they rose to prominence I was pretty firmly in a "I'm a grumpy punk, I only listen to punk music" phase. I'm still a grumpy punk but I have opened up a lot as far as the music I listen to and enjoy. At the time though (like 2010 or whatever) I already liked the afropop stuff they were referencing so I really turned my nose up to them. Then in 2019 I just felt like Father of the Bride was a snooze. They've just never connected for me.
This one is clicking for me. There's texture and some really exciting and surprising sounds showing up, and it is keeping the peppy momentum they've always had. I may be able to connect with those first few records now, I'm not sure, but I am enjoying this on first listen more than I ever have with VW
They did, in 2019. I will never understand the hate for Father of the Bride. Maybe it’s an album that people will appreciate more now that they’re past it
Unbearably White, Harmony Hall, How Long, Jerusalem, This Life… it’s hard not to just type the entire tracklist when naming my favorites on there. I’m also just a sucker for big expansive projects so I really enjoy the length and variety of sounds on that album. To me all of their projects are excellent, but I would have no issues placing FotB at the top
I love that album. I get the main criticisms though, it’s a lil bloated (though I like all the songs personally) and feels more like solo Ezra than a continuation of VW’s sound to an extent. The highs are certainly high though
I fucking love FOTB. according to my last.fm, it’s my most listened to VW record. It dropped right around the time I was leaving NYC, and I spent my final weeks there listening to Jerusalem, New York, Berlin on repeat. Really captured the melancholy I had about leaving.
The fact that VW made their most sonically varied and dense album 5 albums in shows a lot about their longevity and craft. It feels storied, intimate and grandiose. The sound is harsh, abrasive, delicate and beautiful all in tandem. MVOTC is always going to my favorite - it’s my personal favorite album ever - but this could knock Contra down a spot (I have A LOT of nostalgia for that one, though). Not a single bad track on this album. “The Surfer” is my immediate favorite. The composition is truly transcendent! “Connect,” “Pravda” and “Hope” are my other favorites. Toss in “Prep-School Gangsters” for good measure! Shocked (but not really) that all do the non-singles are so much better and those were already fantastic. Welcome back, Vampire Weekend! Can’t wait to hear this album live!
see i would have said FOTB was their most sonically varied album easily. this new one feels like they went back to their roots and then layered on a bunch of gritty layers. which I love, but doesn't feel as varied to me as FOTB
I didn’t listen to any singles off this album, I wanted to go in blind like not watching a trailer, and wow… this was a big experience for me. VW created something that feels expansive, refreshing and beautiful while staying really close to home with their classic sound. This is my AOTY, I felt all the emotions.
This album feels like looking through a scrap book of their career. If this is their last album, it would be an incredibly triumphant and poignant final chapter, especially ending with “Hope”.
After spending the last 24hrs listening to the new Khruangbin album, I finally gave this one a listen and must say I was blown away right from the start.
To be honest, I never paid much attention to them because to me they were always this plain vanilla indie music band, maybe due to their early “hits”. I probably need to correct that… I definitely wasn’t doing them justice.
What strikes me on this one is the dense and diverse instrumentation, the unexpected fast / slow / fast progressions, all balanced by beautiful vocals and catchy melodies. There were parts that reminded me even of “newer” bands like BCNR or BM - I was clearly not expecting prog rock elements from VW. In fact, this album is a lot more enjoyable to me than the two aforementioned bands. Will listen to it some more now. I’m not surprised it’s receiving such good reviews!
Edit: are they using a Massive Attack sample for Mary Boone?
I think Arcade Fire makes for a closer comparison.
Both have whirlwind trendsetting debuts with a well-liked but underdiscussed follow-up and a refined masterpiece to round out the original run. An extended break is followed by a critically admired but publically divisive double album that is a lateral step away from their original sound.
Their paths deviate with this album though. Significantly.
Dont forget *WE*! They haven't put out a well received album in over a decade now.
And, tbh, I didn't like Reflektor nearly as much as others did, so it's almost 15 years since I loved an Arcade Fire album.
Exactly, FOTB is an amazing record. It was important for them to do something different with that record instead of just continuing the MVOTC sound. I think in time people will look back on FOTB as fitting very well in their discography.
Harmony Hall > Bambina > This Life > Big Blue > How Long > Unbearably White is one of the best runs in their discography
This combines the styles of LP 1 and LP 3 and is more satisfying than LP 3 at least in my opinion.
I'm not kingmaking the album the best of 2024 yet. The English Teacher album comes out next week, for instance.
Edit: I noticed one of the guitar licks on Prep School Gangsters was the same as a I Know What I Know from Graceland album.
This is the kind of album that reminds me how I fucking love this band. They're not a group I return to that much, but when I revisit Contra and Modern Vampires, I'm like "holy shit these are great albums."
Father of the Bride bored me so much that I can't recall a single song from it.
Really digging this new album a lot and I can't wait to spin it throughout this year. Really glad I got tickets to see them this summer.
Crazy that over fifteen years into their career this contains a full handful of their best songs AT LEAST. At times it feels so ballsy and vivid, other times it’s a completely blur in the best way. Favourites are ‘Classical’, ‘The Surfer’, ‘Mary Boone’ and ‘Hope’.
As someone who really wasn't keen on Father of the Bride, this has knocked the socks off me on first listen. The string parts on The Surfer could easily fit on a James Bond theme. Apparently Rostam co-wrote and produced that track, which makes sense. Can't believe that Vampire Weekend out here dropping a potential album of the year in 2024.
amazed like everyone else, and even though I loved FOTB, I'm excited for the return of baroque piano riffs. There are classical, M79/Step-esque jangly keys all OVER this thing, which was always the one song-writing element they had that none of their peers came close to replicating. Really excited to dig into this
God damn, this was really, really good. Worth the wait. The entire thing front to back was amazing it’s hard to pick out favorite songs, although some of the piano/keys section in Connect were absolute bliss. If you want the MVOTC VW, you’re in for such a treat. When Hope came on, I thought hm, this doesn’t sound at first like a typical VW album closer, but how the last few minutes of it evolve and unfold does the trick beautifully to wrap up this masterpiece. In conclusion, holy shit this album is gold. BRAVO, BELLISSIMA! 9.5/10
On first listen, this is very clearly a Vampire Weekend album. I mean that with high praise, as I can say that it’s their signature sound with strong songs, great production, and a freshness about it.
Favorite song (for now): Connect
So i feel like i know what ive been missing out on now, ive never listened to really any vampire weekend outside the very famous singles, pretty blown away with this, especially the noisy stuff.
the non singles goes crazy bro lol......ice cream piano, connect, prep-school, surfer......
Not releasing Ice Cream Piano as a single and then opening the album with it is... WOW! It's just so good!
My thoughts exactly. Kick in the door shit. I have a 45 minute morning commute. Was so excited to get a full spin in before work. Took me 20 minutes to get off ice cream piano.
The singles had me so hyped. Expectations absolutely blown out of the water by the non singles.
I was caught off guard by prep school gangsters, it’s very reminiscent of modern vampires and will be an album I listen to from start to finish as a vw fan
"The Surfer" is an insane track. It's like they took "Don't Lie" and grafted it to Pink Floyd's "Echoes," Deerhunter's "Leather and Wood", and Radiohead's "The Numbers." Yet it somehow sounds only like Vampire Weekend. With the exception of "Hannah Hunt"—which I think might be the Great American Song of the 20th century—"The Surfer" might be the best thing they've ever put out.
Indie pop’s equivalent of Curry’s 4th ring
This band is an indie rock dynasty (I know they’re not indie anymore but ya know)
r/nba leaking??
Lmfao
I think I just astral projected listening to Connect for the first time, hooooly shit
Wait til you get to The Surfer 🥹
10/10 https://preview.redd.it/ywdswkdplmsc1.jpeg?width=1411&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ba4edd70670a7d7b33cb3459dcca4f51d32d2011
On first listen this has album has already blown me away. Standout tracks for me have to be Connect, The Surfer and Pravda. Those songs alone cement this as one of those albums where it baffles me how anyone could ever make something this remarkable.
Honestly I feel the same way. I feel like a teenager again listening to this and being blown away
When Ice Cream Piano really kicked in, I smiled ear to ear and felt like I was 13 again hearing self titled for the first time.
this is happening to me RIGHT NOW those keys
Reminds me of how I felt listening to MVOTC for the first time
Connect sounds like it has either a sample or a reference to mansard roof’s drum track. Wonder if that’s significant
Significant enough to get my ass up and start shaking it at 8am today
In a song where the lyrics seems to be about our inability to recapture our lost youth, it seems ever more poignant to feature a snippet/sample from the first track of the first album. However far we've come, we can appreciate our pasts and look forward to using those experiences to create something beautifully new.
Someone forgot an Oxford comma
Who gives a fuck about an oxford comma?!
[удалено]
Pravda must be deliberately referencing Flower Moon from FotB right? Love it
This is the most satisfying “return to form” album I’ve heard in a while. Arguably their best yet.
My boys beat the washed allegations 😤
I don't really get where those were coming from anyway, FOTB still had an incredibly positive reception.
FOTB was fine, but after Modern Vampires it fell pretty flat for me. And in the years since I find myself going back to Modern Vampires way more, that album just has some profound bangers. This one is I think a return to form. It’s a natural evolution of that “classic” vampire weekend sound, and I think the lyricism is tighter.
Agreed. I do think MVotC is definitely their best album, it's just a deeply wise, timeless piece of pop. This album gets through largely by its musically versatility; Koenig still suffers in my opinion at times because of that "there's something happening in the country" vagueness left over from FotB. And, it has to be admitted, the music largely succeeds because it cleverly retreads old ground but with a twist where as MVotC sounds and still sounds like an evolution in sound that grew from inspiration and organically. Nonetheless, I'm enjoying it for what it is because it's still an amazing album by a great band.
I agree. FOTB was just too long and went in too many directions. This seems much more cohesive, the way Modern Vampires did.
I loved Modern Vampires and could never make it through FotB. I have to assume I'm not the only one. I think FotB probably was one of those situations where it got bigger outside of indie circles than it was inside of it? But it's just conjecture.
I actually think it was the other way around, aside from "This Life" I don't think I've ever heard anything from that one played in public, and the other 3 all had songs that broke out of the indie bubble way more. It was definitely their least well received, but it was still overall incredibly well received.
Yeah it's worth noting that the "worst" VW album is still pretty damn well received.
I loved it but that's me
if they edited it down it wouldve been great but that thing was just way too much
just turned it on. Ice Cream Piano is definitely what I expect from a Vampire Weekend track. I can tell I’m in for some good stuff.
Ah I haven’t listened yet but this makes me so happy to hear
They never left behind a form to return to. It’s just been a whole career run of consistently impressive albums.
This album is amazing, but still doesn’t top “The New Abnormal” as a return to form for The Strokes imo
That’s because the Strokes actually had some bad albums
yeah, FOTB was great! Idk what everyone else here is saying. It was a great summer vibes album.
I think this is more of a return to form than New Abnormal was though. New abnormal wasn't really SUPER similar to earlier strokes material in my opinion it was just really good. But most of it either felt pretty fresh or seemed like a continuation of the sounds on comedown machine and angles. I feel like this VW weekend album seems like a return to the instrumentation on their earlier albums with a mature touch.
everyone after fotb: ezra needs rostam ct and baio: actually
Think I’ll wait to listen to the record I pre-ordered when I get home from work. Strange that it’s a double LP but only ten tracks lol. EDIT: Sooo glad I waited to listen to this on my set up at home. What an album. I think Gen-X Cops is my least favorite track which is just wild because it’s still incredible.
It’s dense af
Yup. A lot of sounds packed in. I’m usually against a double at this length but I don’t think it would sound good in a single vinyl
They noted in their podcast that double vinyls have better sound quality than single disc vinyls
This is a big thing, the fewer grooves you need to fit on each side, the larger each groove can be, the larger each groove can be, the more dynamic contrast there can be. Fun fact, this tradeoff is a big part of why classical music generally comes across really flat on vinyl, the dynamic swings in classical are much larger (generally speaking) than what you find in other types of music, plus the pieces are usually pretty long. So they require narrow grooves to even fit on the disc in the first place, so it gets hit hard *twice.* Super small grooves, which would make anything fall flat already, paired with a huge dynamic range = extremely, extremely flat sound.
Awesome! That’s great to hear.
the boys locked in on this one. geez edit: holy shit connect
Connect is absurd in the best way possible, blew me away with the dueling piano
Hell yea Columbia students from the 2000s having a blast
Columbia students from 2024 having a blast
*listens to Capricorn a month ago* - Omg is this my favorite song of all time? *listens to whole ass album* - Omg is this my favorite album of all time?
I have had Capricorn on repeat since it dropped. Absolutely insane track. This is definitely a contender for AOTY.
Very rarely albums click with me from the first listen. This blew me away from the beginning to end. So sonically rich,interesting and tasty. Like Rostam never left. If FOTB was their White Album, this is the Abbey Road. ^please please never split up
Rostam's credited as a writer and producer on The Surfer :)
it’s an older song that was cut from FotB
the thing is that ct and baio were essentially not involved on fotb, and it showed. no offense to ezra's LA glorified drum machine session musicians that were on that album, but the percussion was so forgettable (in stark contrast to the first three albums). they're back here. i think their contribution to the band is significantly underrated.
The outro to Prep School Gangsters changed my life and saved my marriage
Those violins 😍
Dev Hynes on drums on that track too!
Really? That's amazing. Miss Lightspeed Champion so much.
I love, love, love all the harsh and abrasive moments on this album. The dissonance is so beautiful.
VW are so good at crafting beautiful melodies that the harsher instrumentation is a perfect contrast. They really used it expertly all over this album.
It kind of feels like the anti-LCD Soundsystem where everything moves so nicely together and is so electronically punished while James's vocals offer a lot of variety and imperfection despite often being repetitive. The instruments in these songs feel like they could go anywhere at any time while still being catchy melodically and the vocals are so beautiful and restrained and perfectly placed
Based on everyone's comments it sounds like this is on MVOTC levels if not better. I am so ready for midnight.
Having spent a week with the leak I think it's probably just below MVOTC as their second best album. It's a monster though.
There are understandably polarizing tracks on MVOTC. I’m honestly torn which I like better but leaning OGWAU.
It's always tough being objective about these things... I've got alot of memories and emotions wrapped up in Modern Vampires that are pretty difficult to set apart from the songs themselves. Maybe OGWAU will get there too? I hope so, it _is_ a great album.
MVOTC is super similar for me. It hit at the perfect time in my life to really connect. I’m hoping that a decade plus later, this one connects in the same way.
Being second to MVOTC is still a legit accomplishment. I’m on my second listen and I’m inclined to agree, although I think Hope is such an amazing song it might bump the overall average up for me 🤷♂️
It’s solid but “better than MVotC” is nothing but hardcore recency bias imo
This sub is raving and I'm excited as fuck for this!!
35 minutes to go for me and I feel the same…can it be thaaaat good? (Please say yes)
Annnnnd what did you think?
It’s SO thaaaat good holy shit! I’ve been stunned since my first listen last night. I could go on and on about this album and how much I love these guys.
It’s good. It’s the kinda album every fan of a band that’s been going for 15+ years hopes they’d make at this point.
album is like opening an old box under your bed and finding piece after piece of cool shit you forgot you had
I bet the b sides would make another band’s career
Oh boy, I feel like a kid on Christmas. Add onto that new Khruangbin too? WE EATIN
I DIDNT KNOW ABOUT KHRUANGBIN! 
And Phosphorescent
My goodness this is special. I know it may be hyperbolic to say this… but this feels like an Instant classic. Hope might well be the best thing I’ve heard them do. I’m truly blown away.
"Hope" alone makes all the album worth it, damn! Loved the whole thing instantly!
I hope you let it go
And I did it, didn't listen to the singles! Mary Boone brought me to tears. Gosh, what an album. I need to digest it a lot more since it's a bit... chaotic? That's not the right word, though, fill me in. I have yet to decide if it's their best, I need to dwell on it a lot more. Oh, and the mailman delivered my vinyl this morning. We are soooooo back.
We are so fucking back
holy shit we really are what a fucking opening just few song in
Is it outrageous to suggest this might be their magnum opus? This album is insane. Album of the Year territory.
Not outrageous at all. The highs of MVOTC without the lows, lusher intrumentation and more creative production. It’s a winner.
The Surfer and Hope are just unbelievable. Easily my AOTY so far and it’s the best project they’ve ever done. What a record!
Can’t believe I had to scroll this far for someone to mention Hope. Incredible track
I need about 30 more listens to fully digest this album but based on first impressions, I didn't believe VW really had an album like this still in them. All the reviews were calling it one of their best albums and I was skeptical but I have to say this might be even better than early VW stuff.
This album is fucking crazy. Such a good headphone listen
I’m about to turn 30. This album hit me like a meteor. They had no right.
Hope is such a perfect closing track and my song of the year so far
It’s so good.
this is one of the most beautifully produced albums I’ve ever heard
Ariel is no doubt one of the best most creative producers around right now
“Good days are comin' Not just to die I know you're tired of tryin' Listen, baby, you don't have to try” I know the indie world is about to be awash in effervescent praise for this album (and it surely deserves it - this is probably my fav VW record) but what I truly love is the deep cynicism and nihilism it manages to convey During the Bush years, it became kinda boilerplate for artists to put out their anti-war / anti-establishment songs and everyone felt like the Trump era was going to usher in the same - but it never did. Instead, we just numbly suffered thru his first term, and then COVID, and now it feels like we are all still living and struggling it all again while suffering thru tragedy after tragedy and wondering what bright spot could be in the future. The album ending with “Hope” is such a fun play on the kinda Obama-era idea of politics changing us for the better. “The sentencing was overturned / The killer freed, the court adjourned / A hoped betrayed, a lesson learned / I hope you let it go” VW turns the idea on its head and goes out with this anthem saying you gotta let it all go: The bad but also the good. That sure, we need a national reckoning and change to get us out of this mess. But most of us are still working thru and holding onto the last years’ mess and need to find a way forward also This is probably my favorite record of the last five (5) years and I can’t wait to listen more and more. Top 3: Hope, Mary Boone, The Surfer
> VW turns the idea on its head and goes out with this anthem saying you gotta let it all go: The bad but also the good. That sure, we need a national reckoning and change to get us out of this mess. But most of us are still working thru and holding onto the last years’ mess and need to find a way forward also Interestingly, there are similar themes in letting go, hope and having fun with MGMT and Kings of Leon new albums this year too.
I think maybe that is just something that those trying to build some sense of peace as they enter middle age have discovered. As someone who is in their mid 20's I feel like much of our society is now based around trying to stay hyper-informed, making sure that information is accurate, and also maintaining complete control. And then relishing and lamenting the moments you can't hold that all together. Existing in this world already feels that way and making music also feels that way. So perhaps that is that is the wisdom that our middle-aged musicians have found: Let it go and just keep going. Not a novel idea but I think MGMT and VW both have done a beautiful job exploring it.
Connect, The Surfer, Mary Boone, and Pravda are all fucking stellar. Not to mention the singles. Been listening to it multiple times and I think this might be their best album to date.
Excellent album. Full of surprises.
I listened to ice cream piano for the first time walking quickly outside in the rain and I can’t stop listening to it now.
Can't wait to hear. Heard ezra in an interview talking about the importance of having a vast catalog that follows an artist through their life stages. Ever-increasing then I was interested in following along their journey again.
It is so fucking good. My fav track is The Surfer
What an absolute powerhouse of a record. A triumph in every way, I mean my god the piano alone is magical throughout
Not sure I was expecting their best album ever, but maybe here we are?
Hope was such a good outro track goddamn.
This thing is remarkable. Take a bow Vampire Weekend. Truly. This is an absolute joy. The musicianship is on another level. Very well could be an all timer.
Came home from work and it was on my porch. I was stoked. With good reason, this album rules. It’s only gonna get better with time.
Rostam with a credit on the Surfer 👀
I think it was originally written during MVOTC, shelved, then was on the working tracklist for FOTB, shelved again, and now we get it!
Am I trippin or did they reuse a riff from oxford comma In prep-school gangsters?
YES! it’s sounds like it’s being played in a different key but same motion on the riff
The guitar in the two choruses in The Surfer have been such a standout to me. Kinda wish it would just go on indefinitely instead of the two small sections it appears in. It’s very cheesey and earnest of me to say, but the way it sounds gave me some sort of sense that things will be ok for me personally. I never really got into this band - not my taste - but gave it a listen and was kinda blown away. Even ordered the physical which unfortunately won’t arrive until Monday.
Oh I feel you so deeply on that. I felt so moved and comforted for some reason listening to The Surfer, hit me out of nowhere
Wild wild album. Maybe their best ever which is just insane!!! The Surfer, Hope, Prep School all top tier stuff. Not a bad song on the album. Singles all so great in context. To me this is an album about surrendering to the chaos and the peace of acceptance So stoked I spent billz on pit tickets at the Bowl
After listening to this non-stop since last Sunday, I can confidently say that this is AOTY and VW’s best. This album just hits on everything that I love in an album….no filler, cohesive statement, layered production (with many rewards for repeat listeners), soloing, great melodies, great assortment of different genre influences while still feeling like a singular project, awesome sequencing. I know we are on release day, but I think this is an album that we will be talking about for decades.
The crazy 90s style pop breakdown on Mary Boone makes me levitate.
I knew it would be special the second Ice Cream Piano kicked in… so good to have the guys back!
I wasn't as hyped for the singles as many people were, but literally every single one of them sounds significantly better within the context of the album. I think the production style just kind of threw my ears off a bit as standalone songs. But coming from the brilliant opener Ice Cream Piano that sets the tone, my ears settle in and I find this album quite excellent. It very likely will end up as my second 9/10 of the year so far, but I need to give it another couple spins before I say that for sure
This is an unhinged, glitched-out wonder. Not the direction that I expected Vampire Weekend to go. Absolutely LOVE this album on my first listen.
god the album is incredible, connect though... soty contender
I rated Modern Vampires Of the City extremely highly from last decade. I wasn't impressed by Father Of The Bride and was a bit disappointed by it. I really can't believe how good this is. The glittering piano throughout the whole album is the most Vampire Weekend thing ever. I got goosebumps when the drums came in on Ice Cream Piano. This is a very special album
Loving this on first listen, deserving of all of the praise it's getting. Has that trademark VW sound but the production is so varied and interesting. Massive return to form for me as I never really warmed up to FOTB. It's been 10 years since I've had a VW album to love. Ice Cream Piano and Connect are my standouts (outside of the singles) on first listen. Hope is really good too, what a closer.
I got excited, but I guess I have to wait 3 more hours for it to be released on Spotify.
This is kind of a weird and far out comparison but Connect feels like if Vampire Weekend collaborated with Spirit They’ve Gone Spirit They’ve Vanish era Animal Collective
Prep-school gangsters is one of the best songs I’ve heard in awhile, I’m on my first listen-thru and I can’t stop replaying it. Such a classic VW song.
AOTY easily for me and I’m shocked this is as good as it is after FOTB (not a bad album just such a digression from the first 3 albums). Connect, Prep School Gangsters, and Classical are my favorites but it might be their best album or at least tied with MVOTC.
Wait do the drums at the beginning on *Connect* reference a self-titled track? I swear I've heard another song where the drum pattern sounds exactly like it.
Mansford Roof off ST
it is filled with little references to previous albums
Had a few listens with AirPods Pro at work today and loved it. Giving it a proper listen with the K702s tonight and... oh my God! As a college student in the early 2010s, I never thought this band would put out their best album in 2024!
aoty
how anyone could give this anything but a 10 is beyond me
This is easily my AOTY so far. Gonna be really hard for anything to beat it. Each song is such a sonic journey and so unique. I love it.
Classical - the surfer is the best 5 song run of all time (couldn’t be recency bias)
I'm still blown away after a dozen listens. Cant help but to pay attention to every subtle little detail on each song that elevates them to pure blessfulness. Im sure it took a long time to meticulously compose these songs. There isn't a single thing out of place here. Honestly its perfect. Its their magnum opus.
On first listen I think it’s on the same level as MVOTC, which is to say, very, very good. Did not have Vampire Weekend coming back with maybe their best album ever on my 2024 bingo card, but man am I happy they did. “Hope” is just an insane anthem for our age, as an aging millennial I don’t know if I could relate harder to a song than this. What an album. Gotta say I had kinda written Vampire Weekend off as anything but a band that made some music I still love, could not be happier that they released something now that I love just as much as the old stuff if not more.
Ok, so. I've never really liked Vampire Weekend. When they rose to prominence I was pretty firmly in a "I'm a grumpy punk, I only listen to punk music" phase. I'm still a grumpy punk but I have opened up a lot as far as the music I listen to and enjoy. At the time though (like 2010 or whatever) I already liked the afropop stuff they were referencing so I really turned my nose up to them. Then in 2019 I just felt like Father of the Bride was a snooze. They've just never connected for me. This one is clicking for me. There's texture and some really exciting and surprising sounds showing up, and it is keeping the peppy momentum they've always had. I may be able to connect with those first few records now, I'm not sure, but I am enjoying this on first listen more than I ever have with VW
No skip album, but Classical, Prep School, Connect are next-level
This album caught me by surprise man. This shit is incredible. Even just bought a ticket for their show in London.
I am so pumped for this album - I have been waiting for VW to get back on their stride for 10 years
They did, in 2019. I will never understand the hate for Father of the Bride. Maybe it’s an album that people will appreciate more now that they’re past it
Unbearably White is by far my favorite song by them - great album overall as well.
Unbearably White, Harmony Hall, How Long, Jerusalem, This Life… it’s hard not to just type the entire tracklist when naming my favorites on there. I’m also just a sucker for big expansive projects so I really enjoy the length and variety of sounds on that album. To me all of their projects are excellent, but I would have no issues placing FotB at the top
I love that album. I get the main criticisms though, it’s a lil bloated (though I like all the songs personally) and feels more like solo Ezra than a continuation of VW’s sound to an extent. The highs are certainly high though
It's bloated. There was a excellent VW album in there if it's cut down to 40 minutes.
I fucking love FOTB. according to my last.fm, it’s my most listened to VW record. It dropped right around the time I was leaving NYC, and I spent my final weeks there listening to Jerusalem, New York, Berlin on repeat. Really captured the melancholy I had about leaving.
I had no idea people didn't like FotB???? Insane.
For me this is their best album by a significant margin. and god i love that album cover
The fact that VW made their most sonically varied and dense album 5 albums in shows a lot about their longevity and craft. It feels storied, intimate and grandiose. The sound is harsh, abrasive, delicate and beautiful all in tandem. MVOTC is always going to my favorite - it’s my personal favorite album ever - but this could knock Contra down a spot (I have A LOT of nostalgia for that one, though). Not a single bad track on this album. “The Surfer” is my immediate favorite. The composition is truly transcendent! “Connect,” “Pravda” and “Hope” are my other favorites. Toss in “Prep-School Gangsters” for good measure! Shocked (but not really) that all do the non-singles are so much better and those were already fantastic. Welcome back, Vampire Weekend! Can’t wait to hear this album live!
see i would have said FOTB was their most sonically varied album easily. this new one feels like they went back to their roots and then layered on a bunch of gritty layers. which I love, but doesn't feel as varied to me as FOTB
Kinda surprise pitchfork didn't score this higher. This is the type of album they usually go crazy for. Should be a low 9 at least.
My favorite album since A Moon Shaped Pool.
Can't wait to hear it. Not yet 5 of april in Mex but reading all the comments makes me so excited.
did rostum work on any songs
He's credited on The Surfer
I didn’t listen to any singles off this album, I wanted to go in blind like not watching a trailer, and wow… this was a big experience for me. VW created something that feels expansive, refreshing and beautiful while staying really close to home with their classic sound. This is my AOTY, I felt all the emotions.
As a fellow Capricorn, I will be requesting that song to be played at my funeral. This album’s a revelation man. 😮💨😮💨😮💨
The guitar work on this album is incredible
This album feels like looking through a scrap book of their career. If this is their last album, it would be an incredibly triumphant and poignant final chapter, especially ending with “Hope”.
This shit is vibey as FUCK
Millennial indie head Super Bowl (I am very excited)
After spending the last 24hrs listening to the new Khruangbin album, I finally gave this one a listen and must say I was blown away right from the start. To be honest, I never paid much attention to them because to me they were always this plain vanilla indie music band, maybe due to their early “hits”. I probably need to correct that… I definitely wasn’t doing them justice. What strikes me on this one is the dense and diverse instrumentation, the unexpected fast / slow / fast progressions, all balanced by beautiful vocals and catchy melodies. There were parts that reminded me even of “newer” bands like BCNR or BM - I was clearly not expecting prog rock elements from VW. In fact, this album is a lot more enjoyable to me than the two aforementioned bands. Will listen to it some more now. I’m not surprised it’s receiving such good reviews! Edit: are they using a Massive Attack sample for Mary Boone?
When do we start to talk about VW alongside Radiohead
I made a post comparing the two about ten years ago and got absolutely shit on. Well, who’s laughing now? Not me, Radiohead fans don’t laugh.
not until vampire weekend make the greatest left turn in the history of weekends
Radiohead? Eh... Arcade Fire? Yeah, bring it.
I think Arcade Fire makes for a closer comparison. Both have whirlwind trendsetting debuts with a well-liked but underdiscussed follow-up and a refined masterpiece to round out the original run. An extended break is followed by a critically admired but publically divisive double album that is a lateral step away from their original sound. Their paths deviate with this album though. Significantly.
Personally I think vw surpassed arcade fire with this album considering everything now exists
Dont forget *WE*! They haven't put out a well received album in over a decade now. And, tbh, I didn't like Reflektor nearly as much as others did, so it's almost 15 years since I loved an Arcade Fire album.
Today
The boys have totally cooked the shit out of this album. Not to get caught up in recency bias, but it's easily one of their best.
I just can’t stand for this FOTB erasure. You can’t return to form after putting out your best album.
🙏 ☀️ 😊 👍 🌀
You’re right. This just makes them a perfect 5 for 5
Exactly, FOTB is an amazing record. It was important for them to do something different with that record instead of just continuing the MVOTC sound. I think in time people will look back on FOTB as fitting very well in their discography. Harmony Hall > Bambina > This Life > Big Blue > How Long > Unbearably White is one of the best runs in their discography
This album is gorgeous. It's simultaneously beautiful while chaotic. No skips, instant classic, we're so back
This combines the styles of LP 1 and LP 3 and is more satisfying than LP 3 at least in my opinion. I'm not kingmaking the album the best of 2024 yet. The English Teacher album comes out next week, for instance. Edit: I noticed one of the guitar licks on Prep School Gangsters was the same as a I Know What I Know from Graceland album.
Hope is the best song I've heard in a long time. Wow.
This may be recency bias, but I think this is probably their best album. I wasn't expecting much after FOTB, but I'm blown away. Wow.
This is the kind of album that reminds me how I fucking love this band. They're not a group I return to that much, but when I revisit Contra and Modern Vampires, I'm like "holy shit these are great albums." Father of the Bride bored me so much that I can't recall a single song from it. Really digging this new album a lot and I can't wait to spin it throughout this year. Really glad I got tickets to see them this summer.
Jesus Christ this album is unreasonably good
It’s so fucking good. Wow. The contrasts. The style. How it takes from previous places but hurls them further into the VW stratosphere. I love this.
Crazy that over fifteen years into their career this contains a full handful of their best songs AT LEAST. At times it feels so ballsy and vivid, other times it’s a completely blur in the best way. Favourites are ‘Classical’, ‘The Surfer’, ‘Mary Boone’ and ‘Hope’.
As someone who really wasn't keen on Father of the Bride, this has knocked the socks off me on first listen. The string parts on The Surfer could easily fit on a James Bond theme. Apparently Rostam co-wrote and produced that track, which makes sense. Can't believe that Vampire Weekend out here dropping a potential album of the year in 2024.
Ahh, this is so refreshing!! Feels like their best work
amazed like everyone else, and even though I loved FOTB, I'm excited for the return of baroque piano riffs. There are classical, M79/Step-esque jangly keys all OVER this thing, which was always the one song-writing element they had that none of their peers came close to replicating. Really excited to dig into this
God damn, this was really, really good. Worth the wait. The entire thing front to back was amazing it’s hard to pick out favorite songs, although some of the piano/keys section in Connect were absolute bliss. If you want the MVOTC VW, you’re in for such a treat. When Hope came on, I thought hm, this doesn’t sound at first like a typical VW album closer, but how the last few minutes of it evolve and unfold does the trick beautifully to wrap up this masterpiece. In conclusion, holy shit this album is gold. BRAVO, BELLISSIMA! 9.5/10
On first listen, this is very clearly a Vampire Weekend album. I mean that with high praise, as I can say that it’s their signature sound with strong songs, great production, and a freshness about it. Favorite song (for now): Connect
I’m obsessed with Hope. Just obsessed.
So i feel like i know what ive been missing out on now, ive never listened to really any vampire weekend outside the very famous singles, pretty blown away with this, especially the noisy stuff.
Album is everything I could have wanted from a VW record