Vampire Weekend takes preppy to the dancefloor

It may have been out for a couple of months now but here at Pepe Jeans HQ we're still getting our audio kicks from Vampire Weekend's second long-player, Contra.

Yes, we were hooked from the second we caught A-Punk back in 2008. And, little could have prepared us for the bouncy Senagalese-inspired pop that was to define the band's self-titled debut album. But, two years on we're just as stoked by the band's latest offer.

The African/Peter Gabriel-esque lilts may be less dominant but the new sound is no less intoxicating, with its melting pot of new wave, ska, synth-pop, punk, and even classical creating a bouncy self-deprecating pop personality with enough urgency to fill a dancefloor.

The band's thrift-store preppy sensibilities have also caught our attention. Lived-in chinos, lazy-day polo shirts and collegiate knits have rarely looked so hot. Preppy rocks.