Released: 2024

Genres: Indie Rock, Chamber Pop, Art Rock, Neo-Psychedelia

The Musiquarium’s Only God Was Above Us Review Score: 5/5

Few would have thought it was possible for Vampire Weekend to surpass or even match 2013’s Modern Vampires of the City, but I think they just might have with the incredible Only God Was Above Us.

Five long years after the extravagant Father of the Bride (which was basically a Ezra Koenig solo album), comes a far more concise Vampire Weekend album. This time, the group adds some dissonance and neo-psychedelia elements to the mix and to great effect, with psychedelic guru Dave Fridmann contributing to the album’s mix.

The curiously-titled Ice Cream Piano starts the album off with chaos. The band adds a new song named after a woman (continuing on from Diane Young and Hannah Hunt) with the nineties-influenced Mary Boone. Connect dances along with a cascade of piano notes. Classical is a classy and jazzy affair.

Capricorn is a new theme song for those of us (like myself) born between late December and early January. The guitar work across the album is also quite fascinating, like on Prep-School Gangsters and Gen-X Cops. The Surfer is another highlight, with its psychedelic slacker rock sound.

Only God Was Above Us is a brilliant return after five years away, and is tied with Modern Vampires of the City as my favourite Vampire Weekend album. Absolutely stunning.

For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view Vampire Weekend on Discogs.

Back to the 2024 Album Guide or the Vampire Weekend Reviews page.

Written by Brett Nippard