Vampire Weekend unveiled two new songs, This Life and Unbearably White, the final pair of tracks theyll share before the release of their new album, Father of the Bride, May 3rdvia Columbia Records.
This Life is a sunny and spirited tune that finds frontman Ezra Koenig trading guitar licks with Jake Longstreth brother of Dirty Projectors Dave Longstreth and co-host with Koenig on his Beats 1 radio show Time Crisis and sharing vocal duties with Danielle Haim. The song opens with a characteristically cheeky Vampire Weekend lyric, with Koenig singing, Baby, I know pain is as natural as the rain/I just thought it didnt rain in California.
Unbearably White, meanwhile, features similarly plucky guitars, but the melody carries a far more ominous edge. Koenig produced the cut with frequent collaborator Ariel Rechtshaid, with additional production from BloodPop.
This Life and Unbearably White follow previously released FOTB tracks Big Blue, 2021, Sunflower (which features Steve Lacey) and Harmony Hall. The latter two tracks also received music videos, with Jonah Hill notably directing the Sunflower clip, which also features a cameo from Jerry Seinfeld.
Father of the Bride marks Vampire Weekends first album since 2013s Modern Vampires of the City. The band will embark on a North American tour in support of the record June 6th in Toronto.