Vampire Weekend

As much as we loved 'contra', it didn't touch the magic of the brooklynites' debut & we were left wondering if they had another genuinely great album in them.

phew! what a relief to hear them shake off the "prep boys do highlife" image that had possibly worn a little thin & here they return fresh, revitalised & sounding astonishingly confident with a more nocturnal sound that remains very much theirs - just more sophisticated & less straight-up poppy. when asked about their 3rd album, the band have stated the album is darker & warmer, saying that they “wanted the songs to just be amazing”, working towards a sound in which “something that sounds traditional & maybe something that seems modern come together & it feels natural”. "impressive & strangely reassuring" 4/5 - guardian.