Father of the Bride
by Vampire Weekend
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 245 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 194 out of 245
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 245
  3. Negative: 32 out of 245
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  1. cannnU
    Jun 9, 2019
    0
    I waited 6 years for this!?!!!?!!!!!!???!!!!!???!!! Recyclable lightweight pop fluff. An insult to their fans. I need a shower after listening to this album.
  2. nanananaa
    May 20, 2019
    2
    Terrible and disappointing AF... Is this album a joke? Are they mad at Sony about something? I'm guessing people will be fooled into liking the couple pop songs that aren't complete garbage, but time will not be kind to this album. Previous Vampire Weekend albums have been on heavy rotation in my collection for years, but I'm gonna need to unlike this band until this album passes over.Terrible and disappointing AF... Is this album a joke? Are they mad at Sony about something? I'm guessing people will be fooled into liking the couple pop songs that aren't complete garbage, but time will not be kind to this album. Previous Vampire Weekend albums have been on heavy rotation in my collection for years, but I'm gonna need to unlike this band until this album passes over. This is brutally bad music and they are either taking the Mickey out of us and trying to see how far they can push people to listen to crap or they are trying to break their contract or already decided to break-up and just going for the cash grab first. The 'experimental' sounding songs are really basic and juvenile, I can see them all sitting around thinking they're pushing their limits, but really its stuff kids make on their laptops all day long. The Haim duos are like some rejected country demo tracks found in a box from 1987. Didn't hate 3 of the songs, but too painful to get through the rest of the album more than a few times and TBH feeling a bit dirty and used for actually doing so. Pass.… Expand
  3. Verygenerik
    May 20, 2019
    2
    Father of the bride is by far the worst Vampire weekend album they have made. I have listened to vampire weekend since they produced their debut album and I believe that the first three deliver a brilliantly simple but intricate experience with engaging vocal melodies catchy guitar and gratifying drums. This album takes everything that was great about the last three albums and tonesFather of the bride is by far the worst Vampire weekend album they have made. I have listened to vampire weekend since they produced their debut album and I believe that the first three deliver a brilliantly simple but intricate experience with engaging vocal melodies catchy guitar and gratifying drums. This album takes everything that was great about the last three albums and tones down the drums puts less effort into vocal melodies and has annoying samey rhyme patterns.… Expand
  4. juankv
    Jul 8, 2019
    3
    Some of the songs are awfull, are just a bad protuccion, the lyrcs are good and I can say the best song is Unbearably White, but there are some really bad 2021 and How long?, quality guys
  5. Doxxman5
    Jul 7, 2019
    3
    im glad some of the other reviewer's here have come to the same conclusion, quite frankly i have always had of these guys. Vampire wWeekend are not good, and a double of them is basically musical torture to fans of GOOD music. I try to listen to about 250 albums from each year.....people, this is bad. The most talented member of the band Rostam Batmanglij quit the band. i guess he hadim glad some of the other reviewer's here have come to the same conclusion, quite frankly i have always had of these guys. Vampire wWeekend are not good, and a double of them is basically musical torture to fans of GOOD music. I try to listen to about 250 albums from each year.....people, this is bad. The most talented member of the band Rostam Batmanglij quit the band. i guess he had sense. I'm not saying the guys are bad Musicians as obviously they have some guitar chops, but the songwriting here is muffled and convoluted to put it kindly.… Expand
  6. adamcsor
    May 3, 2019
    3
    The duets just do not work for me at all. And I find some of the lyrics actually quite embarrassing. I agree with much of the "tired dad rock" criticism. It's not exactly how I feel, but it's close.
  7. ArthurLynch88
    May 4, 2019
    0
    This all sounds very Hey There Delilah. He should never have moved to Los Angeles.
  8. bdubz
    Oct 16, 2020
    0
    Pathetic attempt. Embarrassed for the band. I struggled through this album a few times and really tried to like it, but it's crap. I consider their previous albums among my favorite music of all time, but Father of the Bride is well below mediocre. I gave it a generous score of 0, I can only guess that the number of positive scores is a reflection of how many people are quick to 'like'Pathetic attempt. Embarrassed for the band. I struggled through this album a few times and really tried to like it, but it's crap. I consider their previous albums among my favorite music of all time, but Father of the Bride is well below mediocre. I gave it a generous score of 0, I can only guess that the number of positive scores is a reflection of how many people are quick to 'like' anything these days and lack critical-thinking skills. Clearly, having kids has ruined the bands creative process.

    There are a couple songs that are bearable: This Life, 2021, and Unbearably White could pass as b-sides from previous Vampire Weekend albums, but overall it's just a bunch of filler and sounds appropriated from other popular music... Grateful Dead, b-side Beatles, do I hear Taylor Swift in there? (*throws up in mouth*) The collaborations with Haim (note: I love Haim) are such a waste of talent and not memorable in the least.

    I don't doubt that This Life will be an indie playlist fav of the week, but time will show 95% of this album is cutting room floor garbage. If I were a journalist, and not just some joe that consumes music and concert tickets (I've seen VW live 8 times in 5 countries), I'd be looking into the details of their contract with Sony Music - clearly they were paid by the song and just made some crap up the night before they went into the studio for the money. And clearly moving to LA was a bad idea. I won't be chasing tickets to see them live after this album, that's for sure. *deletes from followed artists*.    … Expand
  9. bconnolly81
    May 3, 2019
    2
    I've always been a big Vampire Weekend fan, but this album is an embarrassment. It is aggressively middle-aged, like they're entering a Paul Simon/Jimmy Buffet phase of music that is designed to be played in the background at an all-inclusive beach resort. The first half of the album is tolerable, but the second half is a complete disaster. The trio of Symphathy-Sunflower-Flower Moon isI've always been a big Vampire Weekend fan, but this album is an embarrassment. It is aggressively middle-aged, like they're entering a Paul Simon/Jimmy Buffet phase of music that is designed to be played in the background at an all-inclusive beach resort. The first half of the album is tolerable, but the second half is a complete disaster. The trio of Symphathy-Sunflower-Flower Moon is the worst set of songs I could imagine a band I respect making! It's almost like they're trying to troll us with intentionally lame music that is so far beneath what they're capable of. I have never been more disappointed about a new album that I highly anticipated!… Expand
  10. BrushedRed
    May 3, 2019
    2
    Guess these guys feel like they can do whatever they want at this point and it shows. This album is awful and one of the biggest disappointments of the decade. It felt like I was listening to Arcade Fire's Everything Now again. It was all over the place and nothing made sense or sounded good. When the singles dropped I didn't like any of them except for This Life and Unbearably White.Guess these guys feel like they can do whatever they want at this point and it shows. This album is awful and one of the biggest disappointments of the decade. It felt like I was listening to Arcade Fire's Everything Now again. It was all over the place and nothing made sense or sounded good. When the singles dropped I didn't like any of them except for This Life and Unbearably White. After listening to the album, those are the only songs I liked. Vampire Weekend is a favorite of mine and this album is a shame. I could keep going, but I'm not trying to majorly kill it; just know, it's awful… Expand
  11. Skydog
    May 6, 2019
    1
    After enjoying “Harmony Hall” as a single I divulged into the album not very familiar with the band. What a letdown! The entire thing is filler, boring pop/acoustic garbage that sounds like the offspring of The Plain White Tees. The ladies vocals accompanying him felt extremely unorganized and lackluster. One point for at least one enjoyable song.
  12. fromthegrave
    Nov 15, 2022
    0
    So disappointing. Their old work had a unique sound and was groundbreaking, but now their music sounds like an idiotic mash of pop and noises. There aren't any exciting songs except for maybe How Long? But his voice sounds strange, and the beats are monotonous. There are annoying jazzy noises in this song, which brings down the only good music on the album. Don't get me wrong, Contra andSo disappointing. Their old work had a unique sound and was groundbreaking, but now their music sounds like an idiotic mash of pop and noises. There aren't any exciting songs except for maybe How Long? But his voice sounds strange, and the beats are monotonous. There are annoying jazzy noises in this song, which brings down the only good music on the album. Don't get me wrong, Contra and Vampire Weekend are super good. This is just disappointing.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

33
#33 Most Discussed Album of 2019
47
#47 Most Shared Album of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
82

Universal acclaim - based on 33 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 33
  3. Negative: 0 out of 33
  1. Under The Radar
    Dec 3, 2019
    50
    Too many tracks are loosely arranged with sparse instrumentation and a sunshiny, but laid back, lounge-y jazz vibe. Most rely on a start/stop, soft/loud aesthetic that wears thin quickly and makes it seem as if these are demos as opposed to fleshed out songs. [Sep-Nov 2019, p.134]
  2. Punknews.org (Staff)
    Jun 20, 2019
    80
    This album has a more mature twang to it, musically and lyrically. And interestingly enough, it's pretty minimalist and their simplest-sounding stuff to date.
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  3. Record Collector
    May 30, 2019
    80
    While this isn’t an album of chart hits, a pop sensibility is evident in the way that they treat music-making as primarily a challenge of curation. So, myriad high-pedigree producers and instrumentalists abound, and yet somehow, a cohesive aesthetic emerges.
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