Vampire Weekend is a rock band from New York City formed by lead vocalist and guitarist Ezra Koenig, multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij, drummer Chris Tomson, and bassist Chris Baio. The band was formed in 2006 after members met one another while enrolled at Columbia University. Koenig and Tomson bonded over their fascination with Afro-pop and punk music, and initially started the band as a rap group named "L'Homme Run.” The band played shows around Columbia University and would release their debut self-titled album after graduating.
Soon, the band signed with XL Recordings and began working on their second album, Contra, which was released in 2010. Contra was the band’s first full-length project to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album. In May 2013, the band released their third album Modern Vampires of the City, which also debuted at the top of the Billboard 200. The LP won the Grammy for Best Alternative Album in 2014.
In 2016, Batmanglij departed from the band, but noted that he would continue to work with Vampire Weekend in the future. That same year, Vampire Weekend started working on their fourth LP, Father of the Bride, which was released in 2019. Father of the Bride featured a handful of guests, including Batmanglij, Danielle Haim, Steve Lacy, Dave Macklovitch of Chromeo, DJ Dahi, Sam Gendel, and BloodPop. At the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, the band received nominations for Album of the Year (their first AOTY nod) and Best Alternative Music Album for Father of the Bride, and Best Rock Song for "Harmony Hall." They won for Best Alternative Music Album. Their latest project, 40:42 EP, was released in February 2021 and features reimagined tracks of their song “2021.”
