Vampire Weekend Hits On Complicated Relationships And Identity

Today, we've got an interview with Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig about the band's latest album, Father of the Bride.

"There is something that truly unites all good songwriting," Ezra tells Talia Schlanger. "It's a type of wit, it's a way with words, it's poetry, it's a sense of humor."

All of those elements are present on this record: It's an ambitious collection of 18 songs filled with stories about complicated relationships and identity. Father of the Bride is also the first Vampire Weekend record since founding member and multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij announced that he was no longer a member of the band back in 2016.

Ezra Koenig is joined by some guests on the album, folks like Steve Lacy from the band The Internet and vocalist Danielle Haim (from the eponymous band). The latter starts our session off on the opening track, "Hold You Now," a song inspired, in part, by classic country duets stylized by Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn as well as George Jones and Tammy Wynette.

Our interview with Ezra Koenig was recorded backstage before a gig at The Mann Music Center in Philadelphia with our former host Talia Schlanger. It's one of the last things Talia did before she said goodbye last month. Hear it all in the player above.

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