The Best of New Music Friday:
Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us
Vampire Weekend’s fifth studio LP begins with such little optimism that frontman Ezra Koenig kicks off the whole record by uttering “Fuck the world.” But this is a Vampire Weekend record after all, and now that the original lineup is mostly back together for the first time in a decade, the instrumental pessimism doesn’t even last through the first track. Opener “Ice Cream Piano” ends with a rapid beat per minute pace, carnivalesque keys and some marvelous allegro strings. There are even quick high-pitched guitar struts to make it clear: Vampire Weekend fans will probably find the band as lovable as ever on Only God Was Above Us.
See, since 2013, Vampire Weekend hasn’t exactly been “Vampire Weekend.” Koenig made 2019’s Father of the Bride all on his own (sorta). Though at times it sounded like a full-blown Vampire Weekend record, it was more of a solo venture.
By the time the full lineup is playing “Classic” with its piano, horns stretchy guitars and Koenig’s matching vocals on track two, Only God Was Above Us already feels like a more complete version of Vampire Weekend than fans have heard in a while.
Koenig and the band are almost 40. Gone are the days of silly YouTube videos. They instead have more serious revelations to offer. “I know what lies beneath Manhattan,” Koenig sings on “Pravda,” with the jaded certainty of someone looking back from the other side. He moved to California not so long ago, and it’s clearly added to his character development.
Two singles building up to Only God Was Above Us’ release show Vampire Weekend may have had some mature bones in their bodies for a long while. “Gen X Cops” is a track the band says they’ve tooled with for years. “Each generation makes its own apology,” Koenig sings. “Capricorn,” a subdued demi-ballad, will probably be on “This is Vampire Weekend” Spotify playlists until the end of time.
Lyrically, Only God Was Above Us maintains its melancholy. Instrumentally, it’s among their most joyful releases. “Mary Boone” (named after an influential New York art dealer who was convicted of tax evasion in 2019) with its bright piano, British R&B sample, and hopeful choral flourishes offers the kind of maximalism inherent to Vampire Weekend.
Only God Was Above Us is about as ambitious a record as a band that’s already “made it” could make. It’s a trademark carnival of sounds that fans have waited for, shimmering brightly on its own upon the record shelf of Vampire Weekend’s now three-decade-spanning discography.
New Music Friday Top Picks:
AKTHESAVIOR + sagun – u r not alone
Creeping Charlie – “Rabbit”
Gustaf – Package Pt. 2
Khruangbin – A LA SALA
The Libertines – All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade
Maryjo – “Should Be Us”
Maxband – On Ice
REZN – “Chasm”
Tim Atlas – “Just A Baby”
Which of these tracks from New Music Friday will you add to your favorite playlists today? Any we missed? Let us know in the comments or on Instagram!
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