For their punked-out new single “Cousins,” the men of Vampy Weeks shot an equally frenetic clip in a city alley. The Garth Jennings-directed clip is above, the single’s out digitally right now and on vinyl December 7th courtesy of XL. And oh yeah, not sure if you knew this, but their sophomore full-length, Contra, is out January 20th. Stay tuned until tomorrow for yet another update on the Road To The Next Vampire Weekend Record.

We posted a now defunct Vanity Fair video yesterday in which those dirty dogs in Vampire Weekend gave you a piece of their worldview. Though we’ve already shared some 4,457 Vampy Weeks tour dates with you in the past few weeks, we feel obliged to also inform you that the band will be performing the West Coast holiday show circuit next month in addition to a free show in Sydney next week AND a slew of shows in their native New York around the January 10 release of their deliriously excellent new LP, Contra. People can call them classists or say their music is wussy, but you’d have to be a Class A bonehead to suggest these dudes don’t grind. Cover art above, tour dates below.

11.23 Sydney, Australia @ Notes on Enmore

12.10 Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom (94.7FM “A December To Remember” concert series)
12.11 Oakland, CA @ Oracle Arena (Live 105 “Not So Silent Night 2009”)
12.12 La Jolla, CA @ RIMAC Arena/UC San Diego (FM949 “Holiday Hootenanny”)
12.13 Los Angeles, CA @ Gibson Amphitheater (KROQ “Acoustic Christmas)
12.15 Seattle, WA @ WaMu Theater (KNDD The End’s “Deck The Hall Ball ‘09”)

01.12 Los Angeles, CA Henry Fonda Theater
01.17 New York, NY United Palace Theater
01.18 New York, NY Webster Hall
01.19 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom

The men of Vampire Weekend sat down recently with whom we can only presume was a cameraperson and an interviewer (just a guess!), tackling questions of great existential and philosophical weight in Vanity Fair’s “Proust Questionnaire.” Their new album Contra drops January 12th. They’re touring like wild men. And they are, as we’ve known and the above video further suggests, very thoughtful.

As we mentioned just the other day, Vampire Weekend are set to release their long-awaited sophomore album, Contra, come January.  If the name brings to mind NES binges, that’s ’cause frontbrah Ezra Koening recently confessed to MTV News that, as an 80s baby, it is hard for him not to be influenced by the 1987-released Konami essential. But you should also be aware by now that Mr. Koenig’s brain fidgets now and again. He went on to admit that there’s double meaning, that “everybody [his] parents’ age thinks of the counter-revolutionaries in Nicaragua.”

You are surely aware by now that Vampire Weekend are preparing to unsheathe Contra on the world January 12, 2010. If for whatever reason, you’ve had the pleasure of exploring and drinking in this fine indie rock web site on the regular, you’ll also be familiar with the equally rich taste of new mpfree “Horchata.” Those four guys have been taking care of business over the past few weeks both in Europe and on the West Coast, playing new material of which the folks over at Pitchfork have collected video footage. In addition to borrowing that from zee Fork, we’re also sharing the new VW UK tour dates they lifted from NME. The Internet is so weird!

Dates below

11.05 Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy and Harriet’s
11.07 Lafayette, CA @ Town Hall Theatre
11.08 Santa Cruz, CA @ Catalyst
11.09 Visalia, CA @ The Cellar Door
11.10 San Luis Obispo, CA @ Downtown Brew
11.12 Bakersfield, CA @ Chencho’s
11.14 Lomita, CA @ VFW Hall
11.17 Tokyo, Japan @ Tokyo Unit
11.21 Sydney, Australia @ Oxford Art Factory
02.07 Cambridge, England @ Cambridge Corn Exchange
02.08 Manchester, England @ Manchester Apollo
02.09 Leeds, England @ O2 Academy
02.10 Birmingham, England @ O2 Academy
02.12 Newcastle, England @ O2 Academy
02.13 Glasgow, Scotland @ Barrowlands
02.14 Edinburgh, Scotland @ Picture House
02.16 London, England @ O2 Academy Brixton

“Run”

“Holiday”