Vampire Weekend fans Down Under, there’s news on the horizon regarding the band’s highly anticipated follow-up to Father of the Bride. In a newsletter accompanying their vinyl-only live album, Frog on the Bass Drum Vol. 01, released earlier this year, drummer Chris Tomson dropped some intriguing hints about their progress. This live album featured tracks from their June 2019 tour in Indianapolis.
In the newsletter, Tomson revealed that Ezra Koenig, the band’s frontman, had embarked on a raga singing lesson with Terry Riley in rural Japan. This experience reportedly inspired Koenig to craft seven of what he considers his top ten all-time best songs. Tomson also tantalizingly hinted that LP news would arrive by the year’s end, suggesting that the band had nearly completed the album, which could potentially stand as their finest work yet, featuring ten tracks with no weak links.
Vampire Weekend – ‘This Life’
Adding to the excitement, Vampire Weekend is gearing up for the release of Frog on the Bass Drum Vol. 02, a live album capturing their dynamic July 2019 concert in Milan, Italy. Bassist Chris Baio, who wrote the newsletter accompanying this release, concludes it with an emphatic statement: LP5 IS DONE. Furthermore, a representative for the band has confirmed to Pitchfork that the album is indeed finished.
Ezra Koenig himself shed light on the progress of their Father of the Bride follow-up during a 2021 interview with Mark Hoppus. Koenig disclosed that he had been recording in both England and Los Angeles, acknowledging the challenge of pinpointing exactly how close they were to completing the album. He conceded the endless possibilities for refining songs, from altering arrangements to rewriting lyrics. Nevertheless, he conveyed a strong sense of confidence in the new material.
Vampire Weekend has also kept busy on the live front, performing at various festivals over the past year. They will take the stage at Primavera Sound Barcelona in May. Although the release date of the album remains unknown, these developments indicate that Vampire Weekend is on the verge of unveiling their fifth LP to eager fans across Australia and beyond.
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