After teasing a new project codenamed F.O.T.B. last week, Vampire Weekend have revealed the title for their fourth studio album. F.O.T.B. stands for Father of the Bride, and the lead singles “Harmony Hall” and “2021” are out now.
Earlier this week, Vampire Weekend released two hours of hypnotic guitar loops as a teaser for “Harmony Hall.” On first listen, the full song delivers on the promise of that teaser, with upbeat production and lyrics apparently inspired by the Columbia University residence hall of the same name. Dirty Projectors’ Dave Longstreth contributes guitars to the track, as does Greg Leisz. Danielle Haim is also credited.
In a conversation with NPR Music, Ezra Koenig revealed that “2021,” the more melancholic of the two new tracks, features a synth line from Haruomi Hosono. “This is music that he composed in the ’80s to be played in Muji stores in Japan,” said Koenig. “And when I first heard it, I was so struck by it and I immediately started looping it and I started writing this song on top of it. So anyway, shout out to Haruomi Hosono, who has graciously cleared the sample for us, and I guess shout out to Muji, too. They don’t own it anymore, he does, but, you know.” The repeated word “boy” is sung by Jenny Lewis.
Vampire Weekend are planning to release four new songs before Father of the Bride drops later this spring. Koenig wrote on Instagram that the songs codenamed “s” and “bb” will be out next month, while “tl” and “uw” will be out in March. Hear “Harmony Hall” and “2021” below.
