| Only God Was Above Us | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Standard cover for physical releases; alternate cover available at independent retailers[1] | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 5, 2024 | |||
| Recorded | 2021–2023[a] | |||
| Length | 47:00 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Vampire Weekend chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Only God Was Above Us | ||||
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Only God Was Above Us is the fifth studio album by American indie rock band Vampire Weekend, released on April 5, 2024, through Columbia Records. It marks the third collaboration between the band and their longtime producer Ariel Rechtshaid. It is also the first album recorded by the band as a trio of vocalist-guitarist Ezra Koenig, bassist Chris Baio and drummer Chris Tomson after the 2016 departure of keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij; 2019's Father of the Bride, the first post-Batmanglij Vampire Weekend album, was created and promoted by Koenig as a solo project with Baio and Tomson only involved for the album's tours.[2]
YouTube Encyclopedic
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1/5Views:21 30737 623157 43077 19448 553 644
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Hope
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Prep-School Gangsters
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Capricorn
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Gen-X Cops
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Vampire Weekend - A-Punk
Transcription
Background
Ezra Koenig began to write the lyrics for Only God Was Above Us between 2019 and 2020, while primary recording sessions took place over the following years[3] in Manhattan, Los Angeles, London and Tokyo.[4] The album was co-produced by Koenig and the band's longtime collaborator Ariel Rechtshaid,[5] with additional production by the band's drummer, Chris Tomson, and former band member Rostam Batmanglij.[6] It was mixed by Dave Fridmann and mastered by Emily Lazar.[7]
The project draws artistic inspiration from a 20th-century New York City aesthetic.[1] The album's title is derived from the headline of a May 1, 1988 New York Daily News article, as shown in the album's artwork photographed by Steven Siegel.[8] This article recounts the incident involving Aloha Airlines Flight 243, in which a structural failure caused the aircraft's roof to be torn off mid-flight. The phrase "Only God was above us" was quoted from one of the passengers.[9]
In a press release, Only God Was Above Us was described as "direct yet complex", showcasing the band at its grittiest, most beautiful, and melodic.[10] The first two singles from the album, "Capricorn" and "Gen-X Cops", were released on February 16, 2024, alongside two music videos.[5]
Only God Was Above Us was released on April 5, 2024. To celebrate the release of the album, the band kicked off this album's tour at Austin's Moody Amphitheater on April 8, Koenig's fortieth birthday, during a total solar eclipse.[8]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 89/100[11] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [12] |
| Clash | 8/10[13] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10[14] |
| The Independent |  [15] |
| Mojo | [16] |
| musicOMH | [17] |
| NME | [18] |
| The Observer | [19] |
| Pitchfork | 8.6/10[20] |
| Under the Radar | 9/10[21] |
Only God Was Above Us received acclaim from critics. On Metacritic, the album has a weighted average score of 89 out of 100, based on 21 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[11]
Matthew Strauss of Pitchfork gave the album a score of 8.6 out of 10, as well as the site's "Best New Music" designation. He wrote in his review, "Only God Was Above Us is [also] the most honest album Vampire Weekend have made, an encapsulation of what the band does best, melodic and abstruse in Koenig’s own masterful way."[20]
Track listing
Adapted from liner notes.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ice Cream Piano" |
| 3:36 |
| 2. | "Classical" | Koenig | 4:19 |
| 3. | "Capricorn" | Koenig | 4:08 |
| 4. | "Connect" | Koenig | 5:07 |
| 5. | "Prep-School Gangsters" | Koenig | 3:48 |
| 6. | "The Surfer" |
| 5:43 |
| 7. | "Gen-X Cops" |
| 3:45 |
| 8. | "Mary Boone" | 4:24 | |
| 9. | "Pravda" | Koenig | 4:11 |
| 10. | "Hope" | Koenig | 7:59 |
| Total length: | 47:00 | ||
- Notes
- "Mary Boone" features a sample from "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)", written by Beresford Romeo, Caron Wheeler, Nellee Hooper and Simon Law, and performed by Soul II Soul featuring Wheeler.
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[22]
Vampire Weekend
- Ezra Koenig – vocals (all tracks), electric guitar (1–3, 5, 6), acoustic guitar (1, 3, 5, 10), piano (1–8, 10), 12-string acoustic guitar (2), organ (2, 6), synth bass (4), synthesizer (4, 9), keyboards (4, 9), guitar (9)
- Chris Tomson – drums (1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9)
- Chris Baio – bass (1, 3, 7, 9, 10)
Additional musicians
- Ariel Rechtshaid – drum programming (1–4, 8), electric guitar (1–3, 10), synthesizer (1–9), keyboards (1, 2, 4–9), drums (2, 4, 6, 9, 10), upright bass (2), bass (3, 5–7, 9), harmonica (3), synth bass (4), drum machine (5), Farfisa (5), slide guitar (6, 10), guitar (7, 9), conga (8), tambourine (8), percussion (8), glockenspiel (10)
- Matt DiMona – electric guitar (2)
- Miles Mosley – upright bass (2)
- Henry Solomon – baritone saxophone (2), tenor saxophone (2)
- Isabel Hagen – soprano voice (2)
- Jay Mumford – drums (3), additional drums (10)
- Hamilton Berry – cello (4)
- Dev Hynes – drums (5)
- Eric Gorfain – violin (5)
- Daphne Chen – violin (5)
- Michelle Rearick – cello (7)
- Eliza Bagg – choir (8)
- Jodie Landau – choir (8)
- Luc Kleiner – choir (8)
- Kathryn Shuman – choir (8)
Production
- Ariel Rechtshaid – production, orchestral arrangement (1–4, 6, 8–10), recording
- Ezra Koenig – production, orchestral arrangement (1–4, 6, 8–10)
- Rostam Batmanglij – production (6)
- Chris Tomson – production (7)
- Will Canzoneri – orchestral arrangement (1–4, 6, 8–10), recording
- Dave Fridmann – mixing, Dolby Atmos mixing, additional engineering
- Michael Fridmann – Dolby Atmos mix engineering, additional engineering
- Emily Lazar – mastering
- Matt DiMona – recording
- Kyle Parker Smith – recording
- Dave Schiffman – recording
- Chris Baio – additional engineering
Artwork
- Nick Harwood – art direction
- Steven Siegel – "Subway Dreams" photos
- Michael Schmelling – band photos
Charts
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[23] | 22 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[24] | 32 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[25] | 64 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[26] | 25 |
| Irish Albums (OCC)[27] | 21 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[28] | 28 |
| Japanese Digital Albums (Oricon)[29] | 30 |
| Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[30] | 37 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[31] | 38 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[32] | 4 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[33] | 9 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[34] | 11 |
Notes
- ^ Lyrics written between 2019–2020.
References
- ^ a b Rettig, James (February 8, 2024). "Vampire Weekend Announce New Album Only God Was Above Us, Two Tracks Out Next Week". Stereogum. Archived from the original on February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ D'Souza, Shaad (March 23, 2024). "'When I was younger I was arrogant': Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig on fatherhood and growing up". The Guardian. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ Skinner, Tomy (February 8, 2024). "Vampire Weekend announce details of new album Only God Was Above Us – with two new tracks on the way". NME. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ Strauss, Matthew (February 8, 2024). "Vampire Weekend Announce New Album Only God Was Above Us". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ a b Dunworth, Liberty (February 16, 2024). "Check out Vampire Weekend's bold new singles 'Capricorn' and 'Gen-X Cops'". NME. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ "Vampire Weekend Share New Songs "Capricorn" & "Gen-X Cops": Listen". Stereogum. February 16, 2024. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ Pearis, Bill (February 8, 2024). "Vampire Weekend announce new album Only God Was Above Us & Austin total eclipse show". BrooklynVegan. Archived from the original on February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ a b Grow, Kory (February 8, 2024). "Vampire Weekend Tease Only God Was Above Us Album With Noisy Montage". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ "Vampire Weekend announce first album in five years, Only God Was Above Us". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ Fu, Eddie (February 8, 2024). "Vampire Weekend Announce New Album Only God Was Above Us". Consequence. Archived from the original on February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ a b "Only God Was Above Us by Vampire Weekend Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
- ^ Phares, Heather. "Only God Was Above Us – Vampire Weekend". AllMusic. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ^ Smith, Maddy (April 8, 2024). "Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us". Clash. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ Hudson, Alex (April 5, 2024). "Vampire Weekend's 'Only God Was Above Us' Is as Emotional as It Is Academic". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ Brown, Helen (April 5, 2024). "Vampire Weekend review, Only God Was Above Us: A journey through modern disaster that ends with hope". The Independent. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ Worth, Jim (March 23, 2024). "Mojo Magazine May 2024 - Page 86". Mojo. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ Murphy, John (April 5, 2024). "Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us". musicOMH. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ Molloy, Laura. "Vampire Weekend - 'Only God Was Above Us' review: back to the Big Apple". NME. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ^ Empire, Kitty. "Vampire Weekend: Only God Was Above Us review - their most adventurous set yet". The Observer. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ^ a b Strauss, Matthew (April 4, 2024). "Only God Was Above Us". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ^ Fechik, Mariel (April 5, 2024). "Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us". Under the Radar. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ Only God Was Above Us (booklet). Vampire Weekend. Columbia. 2024. C-326747
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2024-04-15/p/3" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ "Oricon Top 50 Digital Albums: April 15, 2024" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Albums – Week of April 10, 2024". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 15, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
This page was last edited on 14 April 2024, at 13:59