New York City, Self-Reflection, and Subway Graveyards: Vampire Weekend’s Fifth LP Stands Above The Rest

“I know once it's lost it's never found” Ezra Koenig declares on the fourth track of Vampire Weekend’s new album Only God Was Above Us. After their fourth, and overall disappointing, LP Father Of The Bride, I had a similar sentiment towards the band; however, after many listens to OGWAU I must say that the sound they once lost is now found.

After a decade and a half of creating ska, punk, folk, rock, and African-inspired music, the trio of Vampire Weekend have created their most Vampire Weekend album yet. It’s been a weird five years since fans received FOTB. The world has been flipped upside down, and VW has taken the time to evolve and rethink its sound. The new sound VW obsesses over: soft vocals embedded in conflicting instrumentals. 

Five albums is no easy feat, especially five no-skip, critically acclaimed, and fan-favorite albums. Ezra has said multiple times during press for the album that for each album he has a specific overarching sound and vibe he wants to carry. OGWAU keeps this going, as like all VW albums, the songs are great but sound even better alongside the rest of the album. There are no outliers, no pauses, or kerfuffles, it may just be the band's most tight work. 

I’m captivated by the noisy moments, or as Ezra refers to it in an interview with the Jokermen podcast the “messy” moments. They create an unexplored concept for the band that builds upon their last two albums but with a special flair. That extra spice rounds out the songs and connects the album as a whole, start to finish, no skips. VW has never been afraid of genre-bending or tapping into unique styles; however, we have never seen it in full motion like this.

Ezra’s voice takes a backseat among clashing instrumentals that create a sonic smoothie of harsh keys, swift drums, and pleasant riffs. Although the vocals may not control the majority of songs, the lyrics certainly do as every bar hits hard and listeners are given a scope of what the boys from NYC, have been up to the past few years. I’ll always be a fan of Ezra’s voice. The epitome of suave. Sounds like something he would dig.

Similar to the likes of The Grateful Dead, the instrumentals are built for lengthy live performances (which we have started to see at their Eclipse show and their Coachella performance). Unlike the Grateful Dead, these moments of experimental shredding and violin-string-bending don’t feel improvised and are much more articulated and built. With their upcoming North America tour, I trust Ezra has some special solos in store as the album has multiple moments of guitar (and piano) heaven.

My favorites on the album “Ice Cream Piano,” “Prep-School Gangsters,” and “Connect” are some of their best ever. The beat switch on “Ice Cream Paino” around the first minute introduces the album’s messy sound and locates listeners in the subway graveyard where the album cover photo was taken over 30 years ago. In an interview with Radio X, Ezra shared that this was always meant to be the album opener, and I could not see it anywhere else. “Prep-School Gangsters” a nod to the 1996 New York Magazine cover is my favorite track on the album. Maybe because Ezra’s vocals feel like they are taken straight out of the debut album or maybe because of the captivating title. The last of the three, “Connect” is simply an addicting mashup of the new OGWAU sound and Ezra’s voice. Not to mention it has the same drum pattern as “Mansard Roof” a favorite of mine on the debut album. The album has no weak moments, but these are certainly the highlights.

This may be the album that sounds most like the name Vampire Weekend. Whether that was intended as a celebration of their fifth album or not, the ominous nature of OGWAU fits the band's aura and proves they haven’t skipped a beat. This album captures everything VW embodies and I imagine the live shows will feel different from other tours. It’s been 18 years since VW formed in the halls of Columbia and they have found the sound they've been building towards. As we enter spring, Only God Was Above Us will be on repeat as it matches the fresh and blooming energy of spring.

9.3/10