Album review: ‘Modern Vampires of the City’ by Vampire Weekend

With Vampire Weekend’s third studio album, the band graduates from the quad of the irony-laden college campus, progressing into the big city with a newfound maturity to boot. Along the ascent into adulthood comes a fresh depth to their trademark style of indie rock, tackling heavy topics like death, religion and nostalgic addiction to the past.

Thematic exploration is matched with a wide range of experimentation, opening the album with the relaxing piano- and drum-driven “Obvious Bicycle.” Lead singer Ezra Koenig sings the song to a generation with “LED still (flickering) in (their) eyes,” begging listeners to move against the grain of a world where “no one’s gonna spare the time for you.”

“Step” is of particular note, explicitly exploring the tribulations associated with growing up. Ghostly choral vocals are complemented by pitch-shifting effects, which prove to be a staple across the record. Koenig presents a powerful dichotomy between wisdom and youth, which is further continued in the following song, “Diane Young.”

The double entendre-driven song questions juvenile self-destruction for the sake of partying, with the threat of dying young on the horizon. Fifth track “Don’t Lie” provides a thought-provoking answer, weighing the choice of a “headstone” against the “lifetime right in front of you.”

Band member Rostam Batmanglij’s producing talents shine throughout, utilizing complex layering to create songs on a grand scale. The result is a neat package that feels more deliberately structured than previous works.

A few songs take the new direction a bit too far, overutilizing the pitch shifts in “Ya Hey.” “Hudson” is the weakest of the pack, feeling slightly out of place with darker-toned instrumentals. Moving quite slowly, the penultimate song drags the conclusion down a bit. Final track “Young Lion” does little to reconcile this misstep in an otherwise excellently paced record, closing the album on a weaker note.

Even with the heavier tone, the group finds plenty of room for fun, especially in “Finger Back.” Pumping up the tempo, the frantic and chaotic beat proves irresistibly catchy. The faster pace continues into “Worship You,” complicated with a religious zeal. The balance of slow and fast is largely reflective of the record as a whole, making for a roller coaster of a listen with plenty of space for introspection on the way.

“Hannah Hunt” is also a standout, with an ethereal elegance that proves difficult not to sway to. Koenig started writing the song before the release of the group’s first album in 2008, and the extra attention shines through.

The wispy vocals build toward an emotional conclusion, highlighting the heartfelt playfulness of the album. The lyrics traverse across California and New York, following Koenig’s relationship with the titular Hannah Hunt, supposedly a classmate he studied Indo-Tibetan Buddhism with at Columbia University. They unite under their “own sense of time,” Koenig expressing a nostalgic reverence as their relationship crumbles over the course of the song.

The album exhibits a nonlinear sense of temporality, weaving through the past and present with a disarmingly breakneck pace that never feels forced. Elements of the 1950s can be found in “Diane Young,” mashed against surf-rock guitar styles. “Everlasting Arms” similarly continues this trend, combining tribal drums with synthesizers. The result is an album that pays homage to the past while paving a bright future for Vampire Weekend in the process.