Ezra Koenig finds Vampire Weekend’s continued success "bizarre".
The ‘Harmony Hall’ hitmaker thought it was "improbable" anyone could like his group when they first started out, so is amazed they have kept their fans for over 10 years.
He admitted: "Vampire Weekend is such a bizarre phenomenon.
"We started out with songs called Mansard Roof, doing college dress-up, and it was improbable anybody would like that. I imagined people finding it curious, but to stick with it for a decade? It’s bizarre."
The group’s upcoming new album, ‘Father of the Bride’ is the first mate without Rostam Batmanglij and though he and Ezra are "fans" of one another, he couldn’t commit to the group.
Ezra explained to Sunday Times Culture magazine: "We were each other’s first fans," the frontman says sweetly in a slurred East Coast drawl as we talk in a London hotel. "But he was clear Vampire Weekend was one of multiple projects for him."
While the record will be the group’s first album in six years, the 34-year-old frontman insisted there isn’t anything particularly negative about it taking so long.
He said: "Well, this wasn’t a six-year arduous journey. The simplest way to put it is: three years not working, a year of dipping my toes in, two of working really hard."
Last year, Ezra and his partner, Rashida Jones, welcomed their first child into the world and the singer admitted that was one of the reasons why the record was delayed.
He said: "I’m still getting used to talking about family. We’d prefer never to talk about it, but, without detail, yes, this album could have come out sooner if I cared less about spending time with my family."
But the ‘A-Punk’ hitmaker insisted the title of the record isn’t a reference to his personal life.
He said: "I came up with it too early for that, but I was clearly looking to adult themes. Even though I didn’t imagine when I chose the title that I’d be a father by the time it came out, I certainly wanted to look at responsibility and relationships, and those things happened in my life, too."
Vampire Weekend find success bizarre
