January 28, 2021
Vampire Weekend’s Grammy-winning fourth album, “Father of the Bride,” leaves behind the indie-pop and Afro-pop influences of their first three albums, adopting instead a genre-defying combination of baroque pop, soul, R&B and rock. The album boldly opens with “Hold You Now,” featuring the gorgeous vocals of Danielle Haim, which create a melancholy but beautiful folk song. This opening track, unique from anything previously produced by the band, reflects how the departure of one of the band’s songwriters and producers, Rostam, affected their sound. This can be seen throughout the rest of the album, as the group experiments with deeper and more philosophical lyrics contrasting the twinkly, almost lullaby sound of the song. The lyrics of “Harmony Hall,” “This Life” and “How Long?” all lament the existential problems of life while set to a jovial melody and upbeat guitar. Any loss due to the departure of one of the band’s core members is made up for by the contributions of the featured singers in this diverse and masterfully created album.
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