Image via YouTube.
Vampire Weekend continue an action-packed press run today with the release of “Classical,” the third preview track from the band’s upcoming album Only God Was Above Us. This fresh cut plays on the group’s description of its fifth studio album as its “magnum opus,” broaching legacy and eminence with a breakneck baroque arrangement. Once again, the band has coupled its latest offering with a high-production music video, adding more color to the project’s multimedia palette.
“Classical” is classic Vampire Weekend, featuring gorgeous soaring melodies and bittersweet lyrics that beam with ennui. The indie experts delight in destruction here, stacking a harpsichord-esque synth line and faraway guitars that whir like tornado sirens to ask, after it all, “Which classical remains?” With clattering breakbeats, a saxophone solo from Henry Solomon and an orchestral arrangement from Will Canzoneri, Ezra Koenig and producer Ariel Rechtshaid, the band amasses a cluttered and rapturous account of cultural inheritance. The ideas in play here are underscored by the accompanying music video, which frames the band against the vaunted masterworks and edifices of another era; experience the potent dissonance here.
Vampire Weekend teased its new single last week in the first episode of Vampire Campfire, the band’s new podcast, which will be released on a semi-regular basis through the release of Only God Was Above Us on April 5. Following this highly-anticipated release, the group will launch into a massive 39-date tour from April 8 to Oct. 17, featuring special guests like Ra Ra Riot, Cults, Phish’s Mike Gordon and more. For more details on the band’s upcoming album and busy promotion schedule, visit vampireweekend.com.
Only God Was Above Us is available to pre-order and pre-save now. Watch the music video for “Classical” below.
