Vampire Weekend
Contra
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From its outset, Vampire Weekend’s newest album, “Contra,” is nothing short of exciting. The first song, “Horchata,” which was pre-released before the entire album came out on January 11, firmly sets the listener in the mindset of vacation. Since “winter’s cold is too much to handle,” chants lead singer Ezra Koenig, he recommends an escape to somewhere where you can drink horchata—a traditional Latin American concoction—in December, where “crabs pinch at your sandals” and you can regain “a feeling you thought you’d forgotten.” That feeling, the rest of the songs go on to remind the listener, is one of escape to something grander and full of sheer fun. “Holiday” continues this trend, singing the praises of being able to just get away and enjoy oneself. While certainly not a departure from the style of their first album, “Vampire Weekend,” the impression that one gets from “Contra” is lighter, airier, almost pop-ier. It’s almost like “Vampire Weekend,” with hits like “Campus” that clearly recalled the band’s Columbia University origins, is the fall semester: the fun is still there, but it’s tempered by something more serious, maybe the changing of the weather or the imposing school schedule. And then comes “Contra,” and with it, vacation time.
