by The Cowl Editor on February 7, 2019
Music
by Dan O’Neill ’21 A&E Staff
Vampire Weekend has always been an important part of the alternative music scene, and the arrival of their newest singles show that the band is still as influential as before. The group released two singles, “Harmony Hall” and “2021,” both which demonstrate a revolutionized sound.
Following their singles, Vampire Weekend announced that their fourth studio album, Father of the Bride, is scheduled to come out this year. Their upcoming album comes six years after their last album, Modern Vampires of The City, which won Best Alternative Album at the 56th Grammys in 2014. The band, however, has struggled since Rostam Batmanglij left the band in 2016 to pursue his own songwriting and producing aspirations as a solo artist.
In 2008, the band released their self-titled debut album during a time when modern rock giants like The Strokes and The White Stripes were challenged with how to stay relevant. Ezra Koenig and Rostam Batmanglij, as the main song writers in the band, showed that rock was not going to die so easily. Vampire Weekend’s unique sound and lyrics gave garage rock and alternative music the kick it needed to stay alive.
Father of the Bride is set to come out later this year and has the potential to be Vampire Weekend’s best work yet. The hype surrounding the album has been building up since the success of Modern Vampires of the City in 2013.
The new album promises the continuation of the band’s well-known sound combined with different textures and, of course, their Ivy League humor hidden in between the lines of their lyrics. The long wait is finally over; Vampire Weekend is back and better than ever.