Vampire Weekend | Feature Artist

Nearly two years on, ‘Only God Was Above Us’ still surprises us with every listen.

At the time, it was a punchy 10-track return to form that focused on hope, closure, and surprising moments of humour. But with repeat listens, its genius in restraint and composition has left us believing it’s one of the group's best records, if not the crown jewel. The 5th record from the prep-school prodigies saw them bounce back from 2019’s ‘Father of the Bride’.

Although it had brilliant moments like ‘Harmony Hall’, ‘2021’, and ‘New York, Jerusalem, Berlin’, overall it was bloated and underwhelming when compared to their initial 3-punch run from 2008 to 2013.

Gone is the Ivy League smugness, and what’s left is a genuine ear for writing conceptual, groovy tracks that take a happier tone in a time of overall darkness. It would be easier for the band to either rehash what worked on the first two records or just sink into a more gloomier atmosphere. But this one answers the question of ‘why listen to Vampire Weekend in the 2020’s’ exceptionally well.

Take ‘Capricorn’ with its bright guitars and big guitars or the comparatively restrained ‘Pravda’ which has the band channeling Paul Simon yet in the best way possible. And ‘Hope’ is one of the strongest closing tracks of the 2020’s. The longest VW track to date inspires and flows across its 8-minutes.

For all the haters, we’d implore you to give this one a listen, as what makes the band great is here just distilled into one incredible record.

Note the artwork is actually taken from a photo exhibit called ‘New York in the 80’s’. Personally, I’m surprised that in a world of Basquiat fetishisation and Keith Haring being licensed to Kmart, this series hasn’t had more traction. Give it a suss, it’s incredible.

‘Only God Was Above Us’ is available in the Store now.

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