In my opinion, alternative rock band Vampire Weekend has never made a bad album. I am ecstatic to report that “Only God Was Above Us” — released on April 5 — did not interrupt their streak.
The band’s last full album, “Father of the Bride,” came out five years ago. If such long gaps between projects keep Vampire Weekend consistent in producing good music, then I will happily wait another decade for another album as good as “Only God Was Above Us.” It felt like a throwback to the band’s earliest songs, as well as an expansion on the themes that frequently arise in their music.
The first track, “Ice Cream Piano,” was an outstanding lead that hinted at the sonic variety the rest of the tracklist has in store. I was impressed by how much the album felt like a cohesive Vampire Weekend project yet contained so much variety.
“The Surfer” has a smoother, more tropical vibe than “Gen-X Cops” with its brazen, siren-like horns and quick tempo backing drums. Every song seems to have radically different productions, but all of them flow together with their earworm qualities.
In the days since its release, I have listened to the entire album a dozen times. Listening through in order and noticing each natural tonal shift was a rewarding experience that I would recommend to anyone giving the album a shot for the first time.
There are no skips — time flies when listening through the 47-minute-long tracklist in order.
At nearly an hour long, the album follows a similar structure to their past albums. It seems the band has found a successful formula: bookending albums with songs running six minutes or longer and sandwiching their most popular singles in the middle.
The attention to ordering the tracklist is indicative of just how precise the production is as well. On every song, there are countless tracks of snare drums, bass guitars, echoes, vocals, piano, horns, and many other effects. Every layer paints a soundscape that had me air-drumming around my apartment late into the night.
The posh alt-rock band has been known to tackle politics in their past work, teaming up with Bernie Sanders at a 2020 political rally to perform their 2019 album “Father of the Bride.” Frequently, the group reflects on how it feels to be a young person in a world that seems so hopeless.
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Their upbeat, jam-rock vibe continues to counter the sometimes-existential topics within their songs. The track “Hope” concludes the album, with soothing piano keys that obscure the hopeless feeling of inheriting the messy world portrayed in the vocals.
The repetition of the lyrics in the melody, “I hope let it go / The enemy’s invincible / I hope you let it go” felt like being wrapped in a cozy blanket of existential dread.
“Only God Was Above Us” has been on repeat during my walks to class all week and I don’t foresee myself turning bangers like “Capricorn” and “Gen-X Cops” off for a long time. I can’t recommend this album it enough.