As Vampire Weekend fans know, Rostam Batmanglij is an understated virtuoso—like the George to Ezra’s Paul-and-John mix. After a nearly five year hiatus, Batmanglij is back with a solo single, “EOS,” which is accompanied by a lyric video animated by Jon Race.
The song, originally a voice memo of the chorus, came to life in the studio. “What I recorded kept reminding of a very specific place and time in my life. I wanted to capture that feeling, and finishing the song became about chasing it down,” Batmanglij said in a statement.
“EOS” is typical Rostam: It’s a slow burning synth ballad that feels like the more melancholy story that comes before VW’s “Diplomat’s Son.” Listening to it, you can almost hear the layers Batmanglij is responsible for that shaped Vampire Weekend’s sound on 2014’s Contra.