Gold Rush

Available for pre-order through August 26 and expected to ship 4 - 6 weeks after the pre-order closes. This is a six-color screen print, and it will be printed on white Comfort Colors 1717 blanks.

While Only God Was Above Us cut back on the relative excess of Father of the Bride in favor of a lean, ten-song (no skips) album, the jam band-adjacent experience of Vampire Weekend’s live show remains in full effect, and the latter is no better exemplified than in "Cocaine Cowboys." Like the band's best work, "Cocaine Cowboys" is greater than the sum of its parts, packed full of references that add meaning to the song itself, equal parts sincere, irreverent, and fun. This shirt is our attempt to celebrate that.

Anchored by what Ezra Koenig referred to as the "CT shuffle" during its debut in Austin, TX, "Cocaine Cowboys" is a reinterpretation of "Married in a Gold Rush" that weaves the FOTB duet with Danielle Haim into a medley of classic songs that tie into the track's core themes of reality failing to live up to expectations ("Everything that glitters is not gold" - "All the Gold in California"),  the dangers of greed ("On the thirty-first floor a gold plated door won't keep out the Lord's burning rain" - "Sin City), and the difficulty of balancing romantic and professional pursuits ("Little Ben clock says quarter to eight; you kept me up 'till four" - "Cumberland Blues").

The medley reaches its raucous crescendo ("It's a gold ruuuuuuush") after a member of the audience is pulled up to play Gold Rush Bag Toss (not "cornhole"), where, much to the supposed chagrin of the band's accountant, Koenig gifts the lucky contestant money regardless of how well they play ("We're not just singing about gold...We're giving it away!"). When beta testing the game, the band originally brought out surprise guests to play it rather than concert goers, including guitar tech/dance phenom Josh Goldsmith, "Queen of Coachella" Paris Hilton, Heather Gay (from Baio favorite The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City), and an Abraham Lincoln impersonator.

Random notes and disclaimers:

Since this is a pre-order, size exchanges can only be accommodated when the order period is open. No refunds will be available unless your item does not arrive.

A note on international shipping: When a package is shipped internationally, it may be subject to import taxes, customs duties, and/or fees imposed by the destination country. These charges will typically be due once the shipped goods arrive at the country of destination. Such charges are not included in the product price or shipping and handling cost. These charges are the buyer’s responsibility as we are only charging the transportation fee for your order. The buyer is responsible for obtaining information regarding their country’s laws, regulations, and restrictions that may apply when purchasing our products. By placing an international order (shipping outside of the USA), the buyer is responsible for abiding by their country’s laws, regulations, and restrictions.