Cousins (Vampire Weekend song)
"Cousins" is the first single from Vampire Weekend's second album Contra. It was recorded by the band in Mexico City and debuted a few days later in Guadalajara. The single was released November 17, 2009 and a 7" was released December 15, 2009.
Music video
The video for the song, directed by Garth Jennings, debuted on MTVU on November 19, 2009. The music video was recorded at Cortlandt Alley, New York.The video features the members of Vampire Weekend performing in a long alleyway. Throughout the song, the members of the band rotate places on a platform that moves up and down the alleyway on a track. While some of the band members are on the platform, the others take positions beside the platform. The band members also exchange masks of one another, wearing them whilst singing. Towards the end of the video, confetti starts raining down on the alley.
Stereogum describes the video as "quick, quirky, and unpredictable but not without a sense of humour about itself, so pretty much perfect for a band of Ivy Leaguers who aren't above self-satirizing their prepped up ways."
Personnel
Vampire Weekend- Ezra Koenig – lead vocals, guitar
- Rostam Batmanglij – piano, background vocals, vocal harmonies, keyboards, harpsichord, VSS-30, drum, synth, sampler programming, guitar
- Christopher Tomson – drums
- Chris Baio – bass
- Rostam Batmanglij – mixing, engineering
- Justin Gerrish – mixing
- Tito Fuentes – engineering
- Melchor M – engineering assistance
- Emily Lazar – mastering
- Joe LaPorta – assistant mastering engineering
Chart performance
Following Contra's release on January 11, 2010, "Cousins" began to receive increasing amounts of digital downloads. The single first entered the UK Singles Chart on January 17, 2010, where it reached a current peak of #39. It entered the UK Indie charts at #3.| Chart | Peak position |
| Australia | 12 |
| Japan | 51 |
| Mexico Ingles Airplay | 8 |