Indie rock is big. We’re talking really big. And there’s no bigger indie rock band than Vampire Weekend. Formed in 2006 by Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij, Chris Tomson, and Chris Baio after they met in Columbia University in 2006, Vampire Weekend rose to international prominence in a hurry, with their world music-inspired melodies and nerdy track titles, marking them as one of the last standing mega-indie rock bands today.

Popularity Explosion

It didn’t take long for Vampire Weekend to rise to international prominence. The band’s rise to fame was absolutely meteoric, with their eponymous first album making Billboard’s list of 500 best albums of all time in 2008 and peaking at 17 on the Billboard 200. Success came even quicker with their next album, Contra, which debuted at number one with a bullet. Their third album, Modern Vampires of the City, also debuted at number one, making them the first indie band to ever pull off such a massive feat.

How Do They Keep Doing It?

So two number-one debuts is amazing, but there’s no way they could do it again, right? Well, think again – after a long hiatus, Vampire Weekend’s 4th album, Father of the Bride, hit the airwaves in 2019 and went right to number one. That’s three in a row, which is absolutely unprecedented, especially since Rostam Batmanglij left the group to pursue his own thing. Usually, this is the death knell of a good band, but these indie powerhouses just can’t be stopped by a little thing like a central figure leaving for greener pastures. Talk about unstoppable!

Don’t Miss These Indie Heroes

These boys have been on fire forever, and they’re just getting hotter and hotter, touring nearly constantly and riding an unending wave of fame and fabulousness with their indie sound. When they come to your town, don’t you dare pass up a chance to be part of indie rock history!