Vampire Weekend have recently been putting out limited live vinyl with physical newsletters inside, and one of them featured some exciting news for fans: their fifth studio album is finally finished. The band started releasing the vinyl records in June with newsletters titled The Quarterly Report. In the July edition of the newsletter, drummer Chris Tomson revealed that the band’s fifth album was “close to being done.”
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According to Tomson, the new record is inspired by raga, a type of Indian music that is made up of conventional patterns, embellishments, and rhythms which form the basis of improvisation. “Ezra [Koenig] took a raga singing lesson with Terry Riley in rural Japan and wrote what he considers to be 7 of his all-time top 10 best songs,” Tomson continued in the newsletter, writing, “I feel like it just might be our best yet. 10 songs, no skips.”
Recently, the band released their latest live album, Frog on the Bass Drum, which was recorded in Milan, Italy in 2019. The record can be purchased now and will ship around February 13, 2024, according to an Instagram post by the band.
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Vampire Weekend Shares Plans for 2024 in Newsletter
This issue of The Quarterly Report features bassist Chris Baio sharing how excited he was in 2008 when Vampire Weekend played in Italy for the first time, as openers for The Raconteurs. Baio also shared that he hosted the “first ever Vampire Weekend Corporate Retreat on the Southern Oregon Coast.” According to Baio, “It was a dream to show my guys around a region of the country I have fallen in love with over the past few years. We took a buggy tour of the famous Oregon sand dunes (shout out to Sandland Adventure!), ate great food, explored rugged beaches, and most importantly, discussed all our plans for 2024. And let me tell ya, folks, there are a lot of em.”
At the end of the newsletter, Baio wrote, “So I’d like to conclude this update with the most exciting news: LP5 IS DONE.”
There is not a release date set for the new mystery album, but Vampire Weekend does have some shows coming up in 2024. They will be playing at the Primavera Festival in Barcelona, Spain, and will also headline the Kilby Block Party in May 2024.
Join the adventure! Get your tickets now for the Vampire Weekend North American Tour 2024.
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