Modern Vampires of the City

Modern Vampires of the City is the third studio album by American indie rock band Vampire Weekend, released on May 14, 2013, by XL Recordings. After releasing their 2010 album Contra, the band toured and wrote new material during sound checks. Following a period in which the quartet pursued different musical projects, they regrouped and began work on their third record in 2011. Working with no deadline in mind, the band brought in an outside record producer for the first time, Ariel Rechtshaid.

Recorded in various locations, including New York City, Los Angeles, Martha’s Vineyard and apartments, Modern Vampires of the City is an attempt to distance the band from the sound they became heavily associated with following their 2008 debut and Contra. Broadly experimental, the sound featured on the record is the result of a variety of unconventional recording assets, including pitch shifting. The cover art is a 1966 photograph by Neal Boenzi of the smoggiest day in New York City history, on which the air pollution killed at least 169 people. Announced in a New York Times classified in February 2013, two singles have thus far been released: “Diane Young”/”Step”, and “Ya Hey”.

Modern Vampires of the City debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 134,000 copies, becoming the band’s second consecutive number-one album, and has been acclaimed by critics.