Modern Vampires of the City is the third studio album by the American rock band Vampire Weekend, released May 6, 2013 through XL Recordings. Following their sophomore effort Contra (2010), the band toured and began writing their next effort during sound checks. After a period in which the quintet pursued different musical projects, they regrouped and began work on their third record in 2011. Working with no deadline in mind, the band brought in outside record producer for the first time, Ariel Rechtshaid. Recorded in various locations, including New York, Los Angeles, Martha's Vineyard and apartments, Modern Vampires of the City is an attempt to distance the band from the sound they became heavily associated with following their 2008 debut and Contra. Broadly experimental, the sound featured on the record is the result of a variety of unconventional recording assets, including pitch shifting. The cover art is a 1966 photograph by Neal Boenzi of the smoggiest day in New York City history, on which the air pollution killed at least 169 people. Announced in a New York Times classified in February 2013, two singles have thus far been released: "Diane Young"/"Step", and "Ya Hey". Modern Vampires of the City is the third studio album by the American rock band Vampire Weekend, released May 6, 2013 through XL Recordings. Following their sophomore effort Contra (2010), the band toured and began writing their next effort during sound checks. After a period in which the quintet pursued different musical projects, they regrouped and began work on their third record in 2011. Working with no deadline in mind, the band brought in outside record producer for the first time, Ariel Rechtshaid. Recorded in various locations, including New York, Los Angeles, Martha's Vineyard and apartments, Modern Vampires of the City is an attempt to distance the band from the sound they became heavily associated with following their 2008 debut and Contra. Broadly experimental, the sound featured on the record is the result of a variety of unconventional recording assets, including pitch shifting. The cover art is a 1966 photograph by Neal Boenzi of the smoggiest day in New York City history, on which the air pollution killed at least 169 people. Announced in a New York Times classified in February 2013, two singles have thus far been released: "Diane Young"/"Step", and "Ya Hey". false 2023-02-15 11:40:07 8.7 2013 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 43 Indie Rock 112402 2161579 c1159861-71c9-4710-9586-939c8bc3708c af37c51c-0790-4a29-b995-456f98a6b8c9 eb143c5a-9a85-4bce-a78c-f7faf72c0169 /media/data/media4/Music/Vampire Weekend/Modern Vampires of the City/folder.jpg Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend 1 1 04:11 1 2 03:22 1 3 04:11 1 4 02:40 1 5 03:33 1 6 03:57 1 7 03:03 1 8 03:25 1 9 03:21 1 10 05:12 1 11 04:14 1 12 01:45 Vampire Weekend is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 2006 and currently signed to Columbia Records. The band was formed by lead vocalist and guitarist Ezra Koenig, multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij, drummer Chris Tomson, and bassist Chris Baio. Batmanglij departed the group in early 2016 but has continued to occasionally contribute to subsequent albums as a songwriter, producer, and musician. The band's debut album, Vampire Weekend (2008), incorporated elements of indie pop, Afropop, and chamber music. Featuring charting singles "A-Punk" and "Oxford Comma", it has been hailed as one of the greatest debut albums. Their sophomore album, Contra (2010), was similarly acclaimed and garnered strong commercial success, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200, and featuring well-received singles including "Holiday". Their subsequent studio albums Modern Vampires of the City (2013) and Father of the Bride (2019) continued the band's success, with each album receiving widespread critical acclaim, topping US charts and winning the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in their respective years. They released their fifth studio album, Only God Was Above Us, on April 5, 2024.