Vampires Weekend are currently releasing a series of live albums on vinyl and in the process announce a new studio effort.
Already in December 2021, singer Ezra Koenig announced that Vampire Weekend were currently working on a new album and that it was almost finished. A year and a half has passed, but a new record is still not in sight. Until now.
In June, Vampire Weekend announced that they would be releasing an entire series of albums. These are live recordings, which will only be pressed on vinyl and will be available in a strictly limited edition. The first record in the series was released on June 7th and is called FROG ON THE BASS DRUM VOL. 01. It consists of eight live tracks recorded by the band in Indianapolis in June 2019 and includes a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Jokerman”. The edition of 2,500 copies is already sold out.
In the newsletter accompanying the series, the group not only announces the second edition of their live series, but also provides a small teaser on the status of the next studio album. In this vinyl record newsletter, drummer Chris Tomson talks about how “Ezra took a raga singing lesson from Terry Riley in rural Japan and he wrote what he thinks are seven of his top ten songs of all time” – which should then be put on a new record to be found.
This as yet untitled, no-release album will follow up on 2019’s FATHER OF THE BRIDE and, according to Tomson at least, could appear to be “almost done”. Further updates on the new, raga-inspired work are to follow by the end of the year. “I have a feeling it might be our best yet,” Tomson concludes in the newsletter.
Next up in the live album series is UNA NOTTE A MILANO WITH VAMPIRE WEEKEND. The exact release date is unknown.