Vampire Weekend Share First New Songs In Six Years, Detail New Album Father of the Bride

After much teasing, Vampire Weekend have finally released the first two songs off their forthcoming album, “Harmony Hall” and “2021.” Earlier this week, they shared a two-hour-long video loop of just the guitar riff from “Harmony Hall.” The band has also revealed that the previously shared album title acronym "FOTB" stands for Father of the Bride. No hard release date has yet be shared but it is due to arrive this spring.

Frontman Ezra Koenig revealed a number of details about Father of the Bride in two different interviews released today, with Beats 1 and NPR. From them, we’ve learned that “Harmony Hall” features a number of special appearances including ex-Vampire Weekend member Rostam Batmanglij  – who contributed production while several well-known guitarists had their hands on the song – and Greg Leisz (who plays the solo), Dirty Projectors’ Dave Longstreth, and Haim sister Danielle Haim. Batmanglij and Leisz are said to appear elsewhere on the album as well. Jenny Lewis sings the repeating pitch-shifted “boy” refrain in “2021,” which samples Japanese musician Haruomi Hosono. Koenig explained his choice like this:

“This is music that he composed in the ’80s to be played in Muji stores in Japan. And when I first heard it, I was so struck by it and I immediately started looping it and I started writing this song on top of it. So anyway, shout out to Haruomi Hosono, who has graciously cleared the sample for us, and I guess shout out to Muji, too. They don’t own it anymore, he does, but, you know.”

The two songs mark the first new music released from Vampire Weekend in six years, since 2013’s Modern Vampires of the City. Listen to “Harmony Hall” and “2021” below.