This release is the first of three from Vampire Weekend until their 18-song album, Father of the Bride, comes out this spring. There will be one release each month which will consist of two songs. Harmony Hall/2021 serves as our first taste of what this album has to offer after almost six years of waiting. The two songs are quite different, but rest assured, lead singer Ezra Koenig claims it will all go together and make sense, and if doesn’t, he suggests you make your own playlist with what makes sense to you.
Harmony Hall offers the springtime vibe we were promised along with a sense of happiness through the instrumentation, but when listening to the lyrics, the song tells a different story. It’s about overwhelming anger and disappointment with the world, most likely in regards to racism. The piano and acoustic guitar shine through in the song and the choir singing is reminiscent of past albums. Fun fact: Danielle Haim, David Longstreth, Ariel Rechtshaid, and Jenny Lewis are all credited with contributing vocals to the song. Longstreth also plays electric guitar on the track. Contributions from these creatives are a promising sign for the rest of the album.
2021 features a less familiar sound from the band. It pushes their music into 2019 with their own innovative flair. There are two distinct elements of repetition throughout that accomplish this: video game-like background chords and a synth voice saying “Boy.” This is coupled with strong vocals from Ezra and electric guitar. The song is extremely short at 1:38, but is especially exciting because of its feeling of newness and exploration of sound.