Vampire Weekend releases “Capricorn” & “Gen-X Cops”
They have arrived at last: the initial new Vampire Weekend tracks in five years. Following a bit of teasing, the band revealed their upcoming album, "Only God Was Above Us," as a follow-up to "Father Of The Bride," just last week. Now, we have the chance to listen to two songs from the forthcoming 10-track album, constituting a substantial 20% of the total tracklist. Each song comes accompanied by a music video featuring footage of New York from 1988, captured by Steven Siegel, the photographer responsible for the album art of "Only God Was Above Us."
“Capricorn” unfolds as a poignant ballad reminiscent of “Step,” evolving from a string-infused acoustic sway to the powerful resonance of distorted keyboard chords. In the chorus, Ezra Koenig sings, “Capricorn/ The year that you were born/ Finished fast/ And the next one wasn’t yours.” The lyrics touch on the paradox of being “too old for dying young” and “too young to live alone,” as Koenig reflects on sifting through centuries in search of personal moments. Co-written and produced by Koenig and Ariel Rechtshaid, the “Capricorn” video was directed by Nick Harwood, Vampire Weekend's longtime creative director, with the band making an appearance towards the end.
“Gen-X Cops,” titled after Benny Chan’s 1999 Hong Kong action crime comedy, takes on a more upbeat tone. The song features a high-pitched, Pixies-esque overdriven guitar that dances and wails throughout. Notable lyrics include, “Dodged the draft but can’t dodge the war/ Forever cursed to live insecure/ The curtain drops/ A gang of Gen-X cops assembles/ Trembling before our human nature.” Co-written by Koenig and drummer Chris Tomson, the track was produced by the duo alongside Ariel Rechtshaid.
The accompanying “Gen-X Cops” video, directed by Drew Pearce, utilizes the exact film stocks Steven Siegel used in 1988. Filming the band in an authentic 1970s New York subway car, the video seamlessly integrates new imagery with Siegel’s footage. Pearce and director of photography Doug Emmett even researched the light patterns of 1980s subway tunnels to create a rig that would replicate them during the shoot.
In addition, Vampire Weekend has announced an extensive North American tour, featuring a diverse lineup of openers such as La Lom, the English Beat, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Mike Gordon, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Ra Ra Riot, Princess, Cults, Mark Ronson (with a DJ set), the Brothers Macklovich (A-Trak and Chromeo’s Dave 1), and Turnstiles. Notably, the last one is not a typo; rather than the Baltimore hardcore superstars, it's a Billy Joel tribute act.
I would give both singles 3 out of 4 stars and you can listen to “Capricorn” here and “Gen-X Cops” here.