Contra Game

“In a revelation that will disappoint Nicaraguan counter-revolutionaries everywhere, Vampire Weekend have explained that their new album, Contra, isn’t about them. Instead the title of the group’s second LP refers to opposition, contrasts and, er, the iconic Konami videogame,” reports The Guardian. “’Look, I was born in 1984, so I’m not going to name an album Contra and not think about that videogame,’ frontman Ezra Koenig told MTV. ‘There’s not an explicit connection … [but] I did have a moment where I stopped and thought, ‘Wow, everybody my age, when you say ‘Contra’, thinks of the videogame, and everybody my parents’ age thinks of the [1980s] counter-revolutionaries in Nicaragua. It couldn’t be two more different things.’ After the album title was announced in September, critics seized on it – imagining this notoriously wordy band might be taking their inspiration from South America and Ronald Reagan. Instead, Koenig explained to Pitchfork, the most important aspect of “contra” is in the way it ‘implies conflict, but … doesn’t imply which side is better’.”