| "Unbearably White" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Vampire Weekend | ||||
| from the album Father of the Bride | ||||
| A-side | "This Life" (double A-side) | |||
| Released | April 4, 2019 | |||
| Genre | Art pop | |||
| Length | 4:40 | |||
| Label |
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| Songwriter(s) | Ezra Koenig | |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Vampire Weekend singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Unbearably White" is a song by American indie pop band Vampire Weekend. It was released on April 4, 2019 by Columbia Records as a double A-side with "This Life", and the third single from their album Father of the Bride .
Discussing the track with The Sunday Times before its release, Koenig commented that "infighting among white people about who is marginally more or less white is not particularly interesting", and that the song partially explores that. [1] The phrase "unbearably white" had previously been used as a criticism of the band, in reference to their race. [2] [3]
The art pop song develops and shifts between isolated vocals, handbells, jazz fusion-inspired bass guitar, and orchestral swells, and lyrically explores a failing relationship. [2] [4] [3] [5] The track's title has been described as a "prank", as the song does not discuss Koenig's racial identity. [3]
For Pitchfork , Sheldon Pearce described the song as "gorgeous", concluding that "as the [song's] characters seek salvation from a bitter coldness, Vampire Weekend find a spark". [3]
Credits adapted from Father of the Bride's liner notes. [6]
| Chart (2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs ( Billboard ) [7] | 28 |
Vampire Weekend is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 2006 and currently signed to Columbia Records. The band was formed by lead vocalist and guitarist Ezra Koenig, multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij, drummer Chris Tomson, and bassist Chris Baio. Batmanglij departed the group in early 2016 but has continued to contribute to subsequent albums as a songwriter, producer, and musician.
Vampire Weekend is the debut studio album by American rock band Vampire Weekend, released on January 29, 2008 by XL Recordings. The album was produced by band member Rostam Batmanglij, with mixing assistance from Jeff Curtin and Shane Stoneback. Released after a year of building internet buzz, the album showcased the band's unique hybrid of indie pop, chamber music, and Afropop influences.
Ezra Michael Koenig is an American musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, and internet radio personality. He is best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of indie rock band Vampire Weekend. Additionally, Koenig is the creator of the Netflix animated comedy series Neo Yokio and also hosts the Apple Music radio talk show Time Crisis with Ezra Koenig. Time Crisis is airing its ninth season, as of 2023.
"Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" is the fourth single by indie rock band Vampire Weekend, released 18 August 2008. The song was rated 67th best song of 2008 by Rolling Stone magazine.
"Mansard Roof" is the debut single by indie rock band Vampire Weekend, released on October 23, 2007.
Contra is the second studio album by the American rock band Vampire Weekend, produced by band member Rostam Batmanglij and released in January 2010 on XL Recordings. It was preceded by the 2009 singles "Horchata" and "Cousins."
Christopher William Tomson is an American singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the drummer for New York–based indie rock band Vampire Weekend. He is also the lead vocalist and guitarist for a side project called Dams of the West, for which he writes and records the entirety of its music.
Rostam Batmanglij, known mononymously as Rostam, is an American record producer, musician, singer, songwriter, and composer. He was a founding member of the band Vampire Weekend, whose first three albums he produced. He has been described by Stereogum as one of the greatest pop and indie-rock producers of his generation. Rostam also works as a solo artist and is a member of electro-soul group Discovery. He produced his first number-one album, Vampire Weekend's Contra, when he was 27 years old.
"Holiday" is a song by American indie rock band Vampire Weekend. It was released as the third single from their album Contra. The video premiered on MTV.com on May 27, 2010. The song was featured in Christmas-themed television advertisements for Tommy Hilfiger and Honda during the 2010 holiday season. The single's B-side, "Ottoman", originally appeared on the soundtrack for the 2008 romantic comedy film Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist.
Modern Vampires of the City is the third studio album by American indie rock band Vampire Weekend. It was released on May 14, 2013, by XL Recordings. The group began to write songs for the album during soundchecks on the supporting concert tour for their 2010 album Contra. After a period in which each member explored individual musical projects, they regrouped and continued working on Modern Vampires of the City in 2011. With no deadline in mind, the band brought in an outside record producer for the first time, Ariel Rechtshaid, to record the album.
"Ya Hey" is a song by American indie pop band Vampire Weekend, taken from their third studio album Modern Vampires of the City. It was released as the second single from the album on May 3, 2013 through XL Recordings. An official music video of the single, featuring the lyrics, was uploaded on May 3, 2013.
Time Crisis is a fortnightly internet radio show hosted by Ezra Koenig and Jake Longstreth. The show began airing on July 12, 2015 on Apple Music's radio service, Beats 1. The show covers a variety of topics, such as politics, corporate food history, 1970s rock music, city living, as well as frequently analyzing the latest in contemporary pop music by contrasting it with music released in another era. In addition to Koenig, a variety of guest hosts have appeared over the show's history, including Jonah Hill, Rashida Jones and Jamie Foxx. Since 2017, Koenig is accompanied by co-host Jake Longstreth, who regularly describes his love for the "tasteful palette" of early 1970s classic rock, plus music from the Grateful Dead, Ween and Guided by Voices.
Father of the Bride is the fourth studio album by American indie rock band Vampire Weekend. It was released on May 3, 2019, by Columbia Records, as their first album on a major label.
"Harmony Hall" is a song by American indie pop band Vampire Weekend. It is the lead single from their fourth studio album Father of the Bride, and was released on January 24, 2019 by Columbia Records as a double A-side with "2021". It was the band's highest-charting single on the U.S. Alternative Songs and Hot Rock Songs charts, peaking at No. 8 and No. 5, respectively. It also received a nomination for Best Rock Song at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
"2021" is a song by American indie pop band Vampire Weekend. Alongside "Harmony Hall", it served as the double A-side lead single for their fourth studio album Father of the Bride, and was released on January 24, 2019, by Columbia Records. "2021" was later re-released on December 22, 2021 as a collaboration 12" single alongside "Talking" by Haruomi Hosono.
"Sunflower" is a song by American indie pop band Vampire Weekend featuring singer and guitarist Steve Lacy. It was the second single from their fourth studio album Father of the Bride, and was released on March 6, 2019 by Columbia Records as a double A-side with "Big Blue". In response to Post Malone and Swae Lee's identically-titled single, the band covered the song as a part of their BBC Live Lounge session.
"Big Blue" is a song by American indie pop band Vampire Weekend. It was the second single from their fourth studio album Father of the Bride, and was released on March 6, 2019 by Columbia Records as a double A-side with "Sunflower".
"This Life" is a song by American rock band Vampire Weekend, released as the third single from their fourth studio album Father of the Bride. It was released on April 4, 2019, by Columbia Records as a double A-side with "Unbearably White". The highly referential song contrasts bright music against a lyrical exploration of uncertainty and suffering, and was written by lead singer Ezra Koenig with iLoveMakonnen and Mark Ronson. The track was released to widespread critical acclaim, being described as amongst the band's best work, and peaked at 11 on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart.
Only God Was Above Us is the upcoming fifth studio album by American indie rock band Vampire Weekend, set for release on April 5, 2024, through Columbia Records. It marks the third collaboration between the band and their longtime producer Ariel Rechtshaid. It is also the first album recorded by the band as a trio of vocalist-guitarist Ezra Koenig, bassist Chris Baio and drummer Chris Tomson after the 2016 departure of keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij, with 2019's Father of the Bride – the first post-Batmanglij Vampire Weekend album – having been created and promoted by Koenig as a solo project with Baio and Tomson only involved for the album's tours.
"Capricorn" is a song by American rock band Vampire Weekend, released as the lead single from their fifth studio album Only God Was Above Us. It was released on February 16, 2024, by Columbia Records as a double A-side with "Gen-X Cops", and is the band's first singles since 2019's "This Life"/"Unbearably White". The track was written by lead singer Ezra Koenig and drummer Chris Tomson, and was produced by Koenig and Ariel Rechtshaid.
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