THIS YEAR’S MODEL VW ROLLING OFF ASSEMBLY LINE

Vampire Weekend’s fourth album is in the can, frontman Ezra Koenig revealed in a Thursday Instagram post. We’ll be getting a taste in just a few days.

The project, which Koenig cryptically referred to as FOTB, is distinguished by several firsts. It’ll be their first release in six years, the first recording they’ve done following the departure of founding member Rostam Batmanglij, who launched his solo career in 2016, and their first release for Columbia after leaving XL for Big Red, also in 2016.

FOTB, initially rumored to be titled Mitsubishi Macchiato, will be released incrementally, Koenig teased, with “three 2-song drops every month until the record is out.” The first two tracks, he adds, will drop next week. If it’s a double album, as he hints, that’ll be one marathon rollout.

We think FOTB might stand for Forum of the Banned, but it might also be short for Fresh Off the Boat, Fresh Out the Box, Friends of the Band, Father of the Bride or Fritillaries of the Bailiwick, but definitely not Fuck Off Tiny Bitch. We’ve never sensed an iota of toxic masculinity from these clean-shaven or otherwise impeccably groomed Ivy Leaguers.