Vampire Weekend Promise a “Darker” Third Album

Vampire Weekend's new album will be "darker and a bit spookier."

The indie rockers are busy working on the follow-up to 2010's Contra, and have opted for a more old-fashioned sound with eerie lyrics and haunting undertones.

"Lyrically it's a bit darker, a bit spookier at times. It definitely feels more nocturnal than anything we've done before. Musically there's a lot of organic tones. There's some old sounds that have been around forever, like the sounds that bands in America started with. [It goes] back to the roots of music being recorded or being played in a room by a band, " explained Rostam Batmanglij.

The "Horchata" hitmakers ignored pressure to rush release their album last year and are taking their time to craft their new opus, which they believe needs to maintain the same level of "excellence" fans have come to expect.

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Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij on His Gay Anthem

Vampire Weekend‘s Rostam Batmanglij said he hopes “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” will be a huge hit with the gay community one day.

“With that song I was having fun, but at the same time it was honest - those lyrics are meaningful to me, they come from my heart,” the keyboardist, who publicly revealed his sexuality, said about the track he wrote last year for his side project, Discovery. “I was disappointed when it didn’t become a gay anthem, but, you know, it’s not too late.”

Speaking about his main band’s new record, Contra, the 26-year-old talked about how the group worked to develop a postmodern feel for some of the tracks.

“We wanted something very different from the first record,” Rostam said about Vampire’s CD to Out magazine. “You hear ‘80s harmonies on Contra, and for me that was the challenge: to make it not just sound like the ‘80s but feel like the ‘80s too. Because of the way it’s presented, with the sampler and choir, the song ‘I Think Ur a Contra’ sounds new but also nostalgic.”

Vampire Weekend is scheduled to make their second appearance on Saturday Night Live on March 6.

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