Only God Was Above Us | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | April 5, 2024 | |||
Recorded | 2021–2023 [a] | |||
Length | 47:00 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | ||||
Vampire Weekend chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Only God Was Above Us | ||||
|
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]
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 began the album's tour at the Moody Amphitheater in Austin, Texas on April 8, Koenig's fortieth birthday, during a total solar eclipse. [8]
This section needs expansion. You can help by
adding to it. (May 2024) |
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 88/100 [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 | [21] |
Only God Was Above Us received acclaim from critics. On Metacritic, the album has a weighted average score of 88 out of 100, based on 23 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". [11]
Pitchfork gave the album a score of 8.6 out of 10, as well as the site's "Best New Music" designation. The site's Matthew Straus 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]
The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 27, their first album to miss the top 20. It also lasted a solitary week on the chart. [22]
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 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
11. | "Broken Washing Machine" |
| 2:43 |
12. | "Gen-X Cops" (acoustic) |
| 3:11 |
Total length: | 66:36 |
Notes
Vampire Weekend
Additional musicians
Production
Artwork
Chart (2024) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums ( ARIA) [23] | 72 |
Austrian Albums ( Ö3 Austria) [24] | 18 |
Belgian Albums ( Ultratop Flanders) [25] | 22 |
Belgian Albums ( Ultratop Wallonia) [26] | 32 |
Dutch Albums ( Album Top 100) [27] | 64 |
French Albums ( SNEP) [28] | 39 |
German Albums ( Offizielle Top 100) [29] | 25 |
Irish Albums ( OCC) [30] | 21 |
Japanese Albums ( Oricon) [31] | 28 |
Japanese Digital Albums ( Oricon) [32] | 30 |
Japanese Hot Albums ( Billboard Japan) [33] | 37 |
New Zealand Albums ( RMNZ) [34] | 38 |
Portuguese Albums ( AFP) [35] | 25 |
Scottish Albums ( OCC) [36] | 4 |
Spanish Albums ( PROMUSICAE) [37] | 34 |
Swiss Albums ( Schweizer Hitparade) [38] | 9 |
UK Albums ( OCC) [39] | 11 |
US Billboard 200 [22] | 27 |
US Top Rock & Alternative Albums ( Billboard) [40] | 8 |
Only God Was Above Us | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | April 5, 2024 | |||
Recorded | 2021–2023 [a] | |||
Length | 47:00 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | ||||
Vampire Weekend chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Only God Was Above Us | ||||
|
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]
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 began the album's tour at the Moody Amphitheater in Austin, Texas on April 8, Koenig's fortieth birthday, during a total solar eclipse. [8]
This section needs expansion. You can help by
adding to it. (May 2024) |
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 88/100 [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 | [21] |
Only God Was Above Us received acclaim from critics. On Metacritic, the album has a weighted average score of 88 out of 100, based on 23 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". [11]
Pitchfork gave the album a score of 8.6 out of 10, as well as the site's "Best New Music" designation. The site's Matthew Straus 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]
The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 27, their first album to miss the top 20. It also lasted a solitary week on the chart. [22]
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 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
11. | "Broken Washing Machine" |
| 2:43 |
12. | "Gen-X Cops" (acoustic) |
| 3:11 |
Total length: | 66:36 |
Notes
Vampire Weekend
Additional musicians
Production
Artwork
Chart (2024) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums ( ARIA) [23] | 72 |
Austrian Albums ( Ö3 Austria) [24] | 18 |
Belgian Albums ( Ultratop Flanders) [25] | 22 |
Belgian Albums ( Ultratop Wallonia) [26] | 32 |
Dutch Albums ( Album Top 100) [27] | 64 |
French Albums ( SNEP) [28] | 39 |
German Albums ( Offizielle Top 100) [29] | 25 |
Irish Albums ( OCC) [30] | 21 |
Japanese Albums ( Oricon) [31] | 28 |
Japanese Digital Albums ( Oricon) [32] | 30 |
Japanese Hot Albums ( Billboard Japan) [33] | 37 |
New Zealand Albums ( RMNZ) [34] | 38 |
Portuguese Albums ( AFP) [35] | 25 |
Scottish Albums ( OCC) [36] | 4 |
Spanish Albums ( PROMUSICAE) [37] | 34 |
Swiss Albums ( Schweizer Hitparade) [38] | 9 |
UK Albums ( OCC) [39] | 11 |
US Billboard 200 [22] | 27 |
US Top Rock & Alternative Albums ( Billboard) [40] | 8 |