After nearly six years, New York City indie rockers Vampire Weekend have released their first new music.
2021 and Harmony Hall dropped on Thursday and serve as the first two singles from the band’s long-awaited upcoming album — which was revealed to be titled Father of the Bride. The record currently has no scheduled release date.
Modern Vampires of the City (2013) was the last time we heard from frontman and producer Ezra Koenig and company.
It’s currently unclear whether the album title is a reference to the 1991 Steve Martin film of the same name. Some fans, however, are speculating that it’s a reference to Quincy Jones — the father of Koenig’s longtime partner, Rashida Jones.
It’s unconfirmed if the two actually married, but a line from Harmony Halls hints at the possibility. “We took a vow in summertime,” he sang.
Jones and Koenig also had a child together in August named Isaiah.
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Koenig announced that new music was coming last week on Instagram. He posted a screenshot of an Apple folder entitled “FOTB.” He also issued a lengthy statement to the loyal fans of Vampire Weekend.
“To the fans,” he wrote. “Many of you have been hungry for information and we’ve given you very little. But I don’t like talking about a project while in the middle of making it.
“It’s called “FOTB” (well those are the initials — that’s a VW tradition) and it’s 18 songs,” he added. “I know that 5-6 years is considered a long time between records.”
“I think it’s a dignified pace befitting a band that’s already placed three albums in stores,” he stated. “But everyone has their own sense of time.”
The band eventually dropped a two-hour-long video of a repeating guitar melody on Tuesday — which turned out to be the main hook featured in Harmony Halls.
Koenig confirmed that the album will be 59 minutes long and in terms of vinyl, will in fact be a double album.
“This album didn’t really take any longer to write/record than MVOTC. We just took more time on the front end to chill,” he further added.
“I may have stretched out the mixing/mastering process a little bit because spending half the day with my family is my ideal life-rhythm,” he admitted. “It’s painful to say goodbye to that rhythm.”
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Koenig added that “VW” will release two singles every moth until the album is released, suggesting that Father of the Bride will drop in either March or April.
He further revealed the initials for said songs. In February, we will hear “S” and “BB.” March offers “TL” and “UW.”
For now, it seems that fans have some new material to sink their teeth in.
The entire video for Harmony Halls was an enticing compilation of insects on top of a white background, whereas 2021 was a visual stunning ode to the tree frog.
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Along with the brand new music from Vampire Weekend, Weezer became a trending topic on Twitter.
Diehard fans were filled with excitement upon the band’s return.
“Vampire Weekend’s new music has my inner 15 year old’s stomach in knots,” wrote one user. “6 years later and I still love that band so much.”
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In 2016, longtime songwriter, producer and keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij decided to leave the group.
Furthermore, four additional members joined the band’s roster in 2018, making Vampire Weekend a full seven-piece.
As of this writing, Vampire Weekend have no scheduled North American tour dates. They will be touring Europe this summer.
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