If you’ve got an edible, I’ve got a lot to say about Father of the Bride, the latest record by Vampire Weekend. I started listening to this band in design school for their consistent versatility: You can draw to it, talk over it, or you can take it and the rhymes by singer/guitarist Ezra Koenig pretty seriously. With the departure of the group’s synth player and all-around genius Rostam Batmanglij in 2016, fans stepped into the new record cautiously, and Father of the Bride waited patiently. The longer you listen to it, the more the flavor changes. At first, I was all about “2021” with its borrowed Haruomi Hosono sample. Then I was kicking it hard with the sporty little “Bambina,” and predicting that everyone this summer would get married to the jaunty, modernly sentimental “Rich Man.” As I go, I see more and more in this record, and I appreciate the thought and skill that went into making these disparate songs.

by Suzette Smith