For the past three years, Vampire Weekend have been a quiet bunch. However, at last a taste of their forthcoming album, Modern Vampires Of The City , has dropped in the form of a double A-side single featuring the upbeat ‘Diane Young’ and the perhaps more subtle ‘Step’.
‘Diane Young’ is instantly reminiscent of earlier indie club-night anthems like ‘Cousins’ and ‘A-Punk’, appealing to the band’s faithful following, but their mix of electronic experimentation and careful nods to 50s rock in Ezra Koening’s unmistakable croon makes the track suitably fresh for 2013. It almost feels like they’ve taken a classic tune and frantically remixed it, a bit like the flaming classic car in the video that accompanies the song on the band’s Vevo.
In a wise effort to show off the band’s famous witty lyricism and references to the American East Coast, ‘Step’ comes complete with a lyrics video and a backdrop of their New York hometown. This simple video is appropriate for the more vulnerable side of Vampire Weekend – a band always trying to capture some lost American heyday.
Lately, Vampire Weekend have been doing their best to publicise their May 6th album release on XL Recordings, with frontman Ezra Koening cameo-ing on HBO’s hugely popular series ‘Girls’, aptly set in New York, and performing songs from the new album at SXSW. They’ve also announced an eagerly awaited North American tour. Sadly no UK dates have been confirmed yet, although Vampire Weekend is a name that keeps cropping up amongst the Glastonbury rumours.
The tracklisting for ‘Modern Vampires Of The City’ is:
1. Obvious Bicycle
2. Unbelievers
3. Step
4. Diane Young
5. Don’t Lie
6. Hannah Hunt
7. Everlasting Arms
8. Finger Back
9. Worship You
10. Ya Hey
11. Hudson
12. Young Lion
By Joey Mayberry
Dance Yrself Clean
