Vampire Weekend

Sometimes indie rock acts hit growing pains as they grow from dive bars to amphitheaters. Death Cab for Cutie leaned too into schmaltzy sadboy gauze; Modest Mouse muzzled Isaac Brock’s mischievous mania for milquetoast, maudlin pop-rock. Vampire Weekend? They leaned hard into their left-field tendencies while still honing their mainstream instincts. Father of the Bride is by turns inspired by Kacey Musgraves (frontman Ezra Koenig told Stereogum in 2017 that he had a minor epiphany listening to the country singer’s songs) and Haruomi Hosono (the cult-favorite Japanese musician and producer is sampled on Bride’s “2021”). Its revolving door of guest musicians and vocalists—most notably Dirty Projectors’ Dave Longstreth, Steve Lacy, Haim’s Danielle Haim—is both jarring and pleasant. Its traditionalist hits, such as the sweetly straightforward “Bambina” and the melancholy midtempo “Harmony Hall,” deliver easy, empirical rewards. But its difficult moments, like the kaleidoscopic “Sunflower,” shine, too. It’s willfully weird, on a wonderfully large scale.