“Capricorn” & “Gen-X Cops” available now
Having ended a half-decade of anticipation with last week’s album announcement, Ezra Koenig, Chris Baio and Chris Tomson known as Vampire Weekend now fill that void with “Capricorn” and “Gen-X Cops,” a double portion of first tastes of the anxiously awaited Only God Was Above Us, available in a variety of formats on April 5th via Columbia Records. Simultaneously, the band has confirmed a full-scale North American headline tour. Produced by Live Nation, the 39-date trek follows a select few previously announced festival headlines, a sold-out show in the shadow of the solar eclipse, and will include three unique two-show engagements that will see Vampire Weekend play Saturday night shows followed by Sunday morning sets at the Greek Theater in Berkeley CA, KettleHouse Amphitheater in Bonner MT and New York’s Madison Square Garden.
The newly released pair of advance tracks showcase distinctly different aspects of Only God Was Above Us, while feeling very much parts of the same whole. “Capricorn,” written by Ezra Koenig and produced by Ariel Rechtstaid and Koenig, begins on a deceptively subdued note, its honeyed melodies and arpeggiated keys launching into a transcendent chorus featuring a maelstrom of distorted guitars and vibrant drum fills. “Gen-X Cops,” co-written by Koenig and Chris Tomson, and produced by Rechtstaid, Koenig and Tomson, kicks off with a frantic guitar figure befitting a title lifted from a 1990s Hong Kong action movie, and rides a jaunty beat to an anthemic refrain of “Each generation makes its own apology.”
Each of the new tunes is accompanied by a new video built around footage of New York circa 1988 by Only God Was Above Us album art photographer Steven Siegel. Directed by longtime Vampire Weekend creative director Nick Harwood, “Capricorn” is a visual journey to late ‘80s New York City that showcases the alluring yet grimy era of the city— before breaking to modern-day Vampire Weekend. “Gen-X Cops,” directed by Drew Pearce (The Fall Guy, Hotel Artemis, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Iron Man 3), takes a decidedly different route to authenticity, utilizing the exact film stocks Siegel used in 1988, and tracking down the only authentic 1970s New York subway car on the west coast. Pearce and DP Doug Emmett then meticulously researched the actual light patterns of 1980s subway tunnels to build a rig that would emulate them as well as shooting “Gen-X Cops” on 8mm and 16mm cameras to ensure maximum precision.
Support acts for Vampire Weekend’s upcoming tour have been hand-picked and carefully curated by Koenig, Baio and Tomson. Every region of the country will be treated to its own very special guests — several of whom hold local significance —all of whom are beloved by the band. Those guests include LA Lom, The English Beat, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Mike Gordon, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Ra Ra Riot, Princess featuring Maya Rudolph and Gretchen Lieberum, Cults, a DJ Set By Mark Ronson, Turnstiles and The Brothers Macklovitch.
Presales start on Tuesday, February 20th ahead of the general on-sale on Friday, February 23rd at 10 am local time via Ticketmaster.
Vampire Weekend Only God Was Above Us Tour 2024:
Apr 8 – Austin, TX @ Moody Amphitheater (Solar Eclipse) – SOLD OUT
April 27 – New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
May 10 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Block Party
May 30 – Barcelona, Espana @ Primavera Sound
June 6 – Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall
June 7 – Irving, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
June 9 – Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Financial Theatre
June 10 – San Diego, CA @ Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre
June 12 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
June 15 – Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theatre at U.C. Berkeley
June 16 – Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theatre at U.C. Berkeley (Matinee Show)
June 18 – Burnaby, BC @ Deer Lake Park
June 19 – Bend, OR @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater
June 20 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
June 22 – Bonner, MT @ KettleHouse Amphitheater
June 23 – Bonner, MT @ KettleHouse Amphitheater (Matinee Show)
July 19 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
July 22 – Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre
July 23 – Lincoln, NE @ Pinewood Bowl Theater
July 25 – Maryland Heights, MO @ Saint Louis Music Park
July 26 – Chicago, IL @ Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
July 27 – Chicago, IL @ Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
July 30 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory
Aug 1 – Milwaukee, WI @ BMO Pavilion
Aug 3 – St. Charles, IA @ Hinterland
Sept 19 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
Sept 20 – Cincinnati, OH @ The ICON Festival Stage at Smale Park
Sept 21 – Indianapolis, IN @ Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park
Sept 23 – Rochester Hills, MI @ Meadow Brook Amphitheatre
Sept 24 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
Sept 25 – Laval, QC @ Place Bell
Sept 27 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
Sept 28 – Philadelphia, PA @ TD Pavilion at The Mann
Sept 30 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem
Oct 2 – Charlottesville, VA @ Ting Pavilion
Oct 5 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
Oct 6 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden (Matinee Show)
Oct 8 – Wilmington, NC @ Live Oak Bank Pavilion
Oct 9 – Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater
Oct 11 – Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheater
Oct 12 – Atlanta, GA @ Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park
Oct 13 – Asheville, NC @ Rabbit Rabbit
Oct 15 – St. Augustine, FL @ St. Augustine Amphitheatre
Oct 17 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center
