VAMPIRE WEEKEND RELEASES NEW TRACK “CLASSICAL” AND VIDEO

VAMPIRE WEEKEND

“CLASSICAL”

Only God Was Above Us

Out April 5 via Columbia Records

“Vampire Weekend channels a generation’s exhaustion, disillusionment and overload…layers stately chamber-pop with heaving, squealing noise, then eases toward folky resignation.” — The New York Times

“They’re finally here: the first new Vampire Weekend songs in five years… Vampire Weekend are ready to give you want you wanted. ‘Capricorn’ and its counterpart ‘Gen X Cops’ sound like the band’s discography collapsing in on itself…Welcome back.” — Stereogum

“This is 2014 Vampire Weekend all grunged up and stomping back into the spotlight with a vengeance” — NYLON

“‘Capricorn’ is lush and beautiful, as so many Vampire Weekend ballads are. But it’s shot through with a devastatingly fatalist point of view, its no-hope attitude conveyed gracefully and brutally.” — PAPER

“New singles “Capricorn” and “Gen-X Cops” are both very pretty tunes with noisy elements that come and go from the detailed, intricate arrangements.” – Exclaim!

“Vampire Weekend’s latest offerings are defined by bold stylistic decisions forged from five years of deliberate transformation. The pairing of ‘Capricorn’ and ‘Gen-X Cops’ reflects a balance in the band’s new sonic and lyrical perspectives, between unflinching, rough-edged doomsaying and inextinguishable hope.” — Relix

“Both sound distinctly like Vampire Weekend but also distinctly different than any of the band’s previous albums… It’s a clever, creative step forward from a band who’s still yet to miss.” — Brooklyn Vegan

“Following up on last week’s seismic announcement of its fifth studio album, Vampire Weekend made waves again today with the release of ‘Capricorn’ and ‘Gen-X Cops”… These tracks set the tone for Only God Was Above Us, pairing the indie rock vanguard’s trademark bookish sentimentality with scathing newfound grit.” — JamBase

“The wistful ‘Capricorn’ and the frenetic ‘Gen-X Cops’ recall the playful experimentation of the band’s 2013 classic Modern Vampires of the City, although Ezra Koenig’s gentle delivery always bridges the gap between different factions of Vampire Weekend fans.” — Billboard

“{“Gen-X Cops”] has the familiar tools of a Vampire Weekend song, yet its scattered arrangement of sputtering distortion and tiptoe piano has an off-ness that acts as a window into their fifth album, Only God Was Above Us.” — Pitchfork

“It’s a return to form, from the future.” — We All Want Someone To Shout For

Vampire Weekend unveils a third dimension of its eagerly awaited new album with “Classical,” the latest advance offering from Only God Was Above Us, out April 5th via Columbia Records. Written by Ezra Koenig, produced by Ariel Rechtshaid and Koenig and featuring an orchestral arrangement by Will Canzoneri, Koenig and Rechtshaid, “Classical” is Vampire Weekend at its most… well… classic: Gorgeous, uplifting melodies that belie a twinge of lyrical cynicism, punctuated by saxophonist Henry Solomon, whose frenetic and inventive phrasings trade off with Koenig’s nimble piano work.

The song is accompanied by a brand new video directed by longtime creative director Nick Harwood and features Vampire Weekend performing along with Ariel Rechtshaid, and Ray Suen, with very special guest Josh Goldsmith: the band’s drum tech who clearly missed his calling.

Watch “Classical” here.

“Classical” follows recently released Only God Was Above Us “Gen-X Cops” and “Capricorn,” one or both of which featured on playlists and “best songs of the week” round-ups by The New York Times, Stereogum, Uproxx, Paper, Nylon, Billboard, Brooklyn Vegan, Entertainment Tonight, Paste, and many others…

Only God Was Above Us is Vampire Weekend’s fifth album and first since 2019’s Best Alternative Album GRAMMY winner Father of the Bride, which was certified Gold in the U.S. just this week—joining its predecessors Modern Vampires of the City (Gold), Contra (Gold), and Vampire Weekend (Platinum) in both RIAA and Canadian certifications.

Preorder is available here

Meanwhile the VW core of Koenig, Chris Baio and Chris Tomson — along with touring members Will Canzoneri, Garrett Ray, Colin Killalea and Ray Suen — are deep in rehearsals and ready to kick off their epic North American tour on April 8th in Austin under an eclipsed sky.

Join Koenig, Baio and Tomson for a series of fireside chats via their brand new podcast, Vampire Campfire. Watch here or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

VAMPIRE WEEKEND
Only God Was Above Us
Tour 2024

Mon Apr 08 – Austin, TX – Moody Amphitheater (Solar Eclipse)
Sat April 27 – New Orleans, LA – New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival*
Fri May 10 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Block Party*
Thu May 30 – Barcelona, Espana – Primavera Sound*
Thu Jun 06 – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall
Fri Jun 07 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Sun Jun 09 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre
Mon Jun 10 – San Diego, CA – Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre
Wed Jun 12 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
Sat Jun 15 – Berkeley, CA – The Greek Theatre at U.C. Berkeley
Sun Jun 16 – Berkeley, CA – The Greek Theatre at U.C. Berkeley (Matinee Show)
Tue Jun 18 – Burnaby, BC – Deer Lake Park
Wed Jun 19 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater
Thu Jun 20 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Sat Jun 22 – Bonner, MT – KettleHouse Amphitheater
Sun Jun 23 – Bonner, MT – KettleHouse Amphitheater (Matinee Show)
Fri Jul 19 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Sat Jul 20 – Dillon, CO – Dillon Amphitheater
Mon Jul 22 – Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre
Tue Jul 23 – Lincoln, NE – Pinewood Bowl Theater
Thu Jul 25 – Maryland Heights, MO – Saint Louis Music Park
Fri Jul 26 – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
Sat Jul 27 – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
Tue Jul 30 – Minneapolis, MN – The Armory
Wed Jul 31 – Minneapolis, MN – The Armory
Thu Aug 01 – Milwaukee, WI – BMO Pavilion
Sat Aug 03 – St. Charles, IA – Hinterland*
Thu Sep 19 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center
Fri Sep 20 – Cincinnati, OH – The ICON Festival Stage at Smale Park
Sat Sep 21 – Indianapolis, IN – Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park
Mon Sep 23 – Rochester Hills, MI – Meadow Brook Amphitheatre
Tue Sep 24 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
Wed Sep 25 – Laval, QC – Place Bell
Fri Sep 27 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Sat Sep 28 – Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion at The Mann
Mon Sep 30 – Washington, DC – The Anthem
Tue Oct 01 – Washington, DC – The Anthem
Wed Oct 02 – Charlottesville, VA – Ting Pavilion
Sat Oct 05 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
Sun Oct 06 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden (Matinee Show)
Tue Oct 08 – Wilmington, NC – Live Oak Bank Pavilion
Wed Oct 09 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater
Fri Oct 11 – Nashville, TN – Ascend Amphitheater
Sat Oct 12 – Atlanta, GA – Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park
Sun Oct 13 – Asheville, NC – Rabbit Rabbit
Tue Oct 15 – St. Augustine, FL – St. Augustine Amphitheatre
Thu Oct 17 – Austin, TX – Moody Center

*Festival date