Plus Special Guests
To accompany the news of Mary Boone, Vampire Weekend today announce a nine-date run of live shows kicking off at 3Arena on 29 November 2024, and carrying through the U.K. in Scotland, Manchester and two separate London shows before wrapping up the run with shows in Paris and Amsterdam.
Vampire Weekend have released “Mary Boone” — the fourth and final advance offering from Only God Was Above Us out April 5th via Columbia Records. Written by Ezra Koenig and featuring a sample of the iconic drum loop from “Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" by Soul II Soul. Produced by Ariel Rechtshaid and Koenig, with lush orchestral arrangements by Will Canzoneri, Koenig and Rechtshaid, the song — named for one of the most influential figures of the NYC art world of the 1980s—features a soaring, operatic choir alongside Koenig’s understated but honeyed vocals, and lyrics referencing Tadao Ando churches, Natarajas, hex signs, and whirling Dervishes. As its eclectic sonic and lyrical tapestries unfold, the song finds a narrator looking to get their foot in the door of the New York art world (or perhaps something bigger):
Painted white
New in town
You weren’t hiring but I was looking
“Mary Boone” is accompanied by an official visualizer which features a rapper who’s never released an album, Despot, driving from New Jersey to Manhattan via the Lincoln Tunnel. Watch it here
To date, Ezra Koenig, Chris Tomson and Chris Baio have released four songs from Only God Was Above Us: “Gen-X Cops,” “Capricorn,” “Classical” and now “Mary Boone”—evincing a diverse array of sounds and narratives, yet only revealing less than half of the album’s staggering range and depth. Only God Was Above Us will be available across digital platforms as well as on vinyl and CD.
Further information can be found at vampireweekend.com.
