Vampire Weekend Share First New Singles from ‘Only God Was Above Us,’ Plot North American Tour

Following up on last week’s seismic announcement of its fifth studio album, Vampire Weekend made waves again today with the release of “Capricorn” and “Gen-X Cops,” the trio’s first new solo music since 2019. These tracks set the tone for Only God Was Above Us, pairing the indie rock vanguard’s trademark bookish sentimentality with scathing newfound grit. This release is accompanied by a pair of high-concept music videos and the grand reveal of the sprawling Only God Was Above Us Tour, which will bring the band to 39 engagements throughout the US and Canada from April 18 to Oct. 17.

Vampire Weekend’s latest offerings are defined by bold stylistic decisions forged from five years of deliberate transformation. The pairing of “Capricorn” and “Gen-X Cops” reflects a balance in the band’s new sonic and lyrical perspectives, between unflinching, rough-edged doomsaying and inextinguishable hope. While “Gen-X Cops” manifests new-age malaise in riotous, frenetic guitar riffs, instilling the stark revelation that “each generation makes its own apology,” “Capricorn” finds melancholy resolve in a tender, dewey-eyed melody, picturing a listener “sifting through centuries for moments of your own.” These songs plot the emotional poles for a project fueled by first-hand experience, exhibiting a deep understanding of the human condition honed in nearly two decades as the alternative’s zeitgeist.

To complete the artistic vision laid out in these songs, Vampire Weekend has released two music videos built around footage of New York in 1988 from Steven Siegel, who captured the photo that provides the album’s cover and title. Directed by longtime collaborator Nick Harwood and acclaimed filmmaker Drew Pearce, these videos show a faded vision of yesterday and a band racing through the ages on the rattling axles of a subway car, exuding the weight of history that defines the scope of Only Go Was Above Us.

Vampire Weekend will take its new material on the road with the Only God Was Above Us Tour, which will kick off with the group’s April 18 engagement at Austin, Texas’ Moody Amphitheater, set to align with the historic total solar eclipse. This performance will be followed by festival headliner appearances at New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on April 27, Kilby Block Party in Salt Lake City on May 10 and Primavera Sound in Barcelona, Spain on May 30. The newly announced dates begin on June 6 and run through Oct. 17, with appearances across North America highlighted by three pairs of evening and matinee shows in Berkeley, Calif., Bonner, Mont., and at Madison Square Garden in the band’s home city of New York.

To support its massive new tour, Vampire Weekend has carefully curated a litany of icons that reflect the group’s range of stylistic influences and crossover appeal. La Lom, Ra Ra Riot, Cults and Phish’s Mike Gordon will all join the band for extended stints, while one and two-off guest appearances from The English Beat, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Turnstile and more are scattered throughout the tour. Read on for a complete list of tour dates.

Only God Was Above Us is set to release on April 5 via Columbia Records and is available to pre-order and pre-save now. Citi presale for the Only God Was Above Us Tour begins on Feb. 20 at 10 a.m. local time, followed by an artist presale on Feb. 21 at 10 a.m. local time. General on sale for the tour will open on Friday, Feb. 23 at 10 a.m. local time. Visit vampireweekend.com for tickets and more details.

Vampire Weekend Only God Was Above Us Tour Dates:

April 8 – Austin, Texas – Moody Amphitheater (Solar Eclipse)

April 27 – New Orleans – New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

May 10 – Salt Lake City – Kilby Block Party

May 30 – Barcelona, Spain – Primavera Sound

June 6 – Houston – 713 Music Hall

June 7 – Irving, Texas – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory

June 9 – Phoenix – Arizona Financial Theatre

June 10 – San Diego – Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre

June 12 – Los Angeles – Hollywood Bowl

June 15 – Berkeley, Calif. – The Greek Theatre at U.C. Berkeley

June 16 – Berkeley, Calif. – The Greek Theatre at U.C. Berkeley (Matinee Show)

June 18 – Burnaby, British Columbia – Deer Lake Park

June 19 – Bend, Ore. – Hayden Homes Amphitheater

June 20 – Seattle – Climate Pledge Arena

June 22 – Bonner, Mt. – KettleHouse Amphitheater

June 23 – Bonner, Mt. – KettleHouse Amphitheater (Matinee Show)

July 19 – Morrison, Colo. – Red Rocks Amphitheatre

July 22 – Kansas City – Starlight Theatre

July 23 – Lincoln, Neb. – Pinewood Bowl Theater

July 25 – Maryland Heights, Mo. – Saint Louis Music Park

July 26 – Chicago – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island

July 27 – Chicago – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island

July 30 – Minneapolis – The Armory

Aug. 1 – Milwaukee – BMO Pavilion

Aug. 3 – St. Charles, Iowa – Hinterland*

Sept. 19 – Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio – Blossom Music Center

Sept. 20 – Cincinnati – The ICON Festival Stage at Smale Park

Sept. 21 – Indianapolis – Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park

Sept. 23 – Rochester Hills, Mich. – Meadow Brook Amphitheatre

Sept. 24 – Toronto, Ontario – Budweiser Stage

Sept. 25 – Laval, Quebec City – Place Bell

Sept. 27 – Boston – TD Garden

Sept. 28 – Philadelphia – TD Pavilion at The Mann

Sept. 30 – Washington – The Anthem

Oct. 2 – Charlottesville, Va. – Ting Pavilion

Oct. 5 – New York – Madison Square Garden

Oct. 6 – New York – Madison Square Garden (Matinee Show)

Oct. 8 – Wilmington, N.C. – Live Oak Bank Pavilion

Oct. 9 – Raleigh, N.C. – Red Hat Amphitheater

Oct. 11 – Nashville, Tenn. – Ascend Amphitheater

Oct. 12 – Atlanta – Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park

Oct. 13 – Asheville, N.C. – Rabbit Rabbit

Oct. 15 – St. Augustine, Fla. – St. Augustine Amphitheatre

Oct. 17 – Austin, Texas – Moody Center