Ezra Koenig, Vampire Weekend's obviously hyper-educated frontman (that name alone), has said that "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa," the fourth single off the band's self-titled album, was inspired by a stop in London while en route to India, which got him "thinking a lot about colonialism and the aesthetic connections between preppy culture and the native cultures of places like Africa and India." Rrrriiight. Still, it pretty much explains why the band and the video's cast members are dressed like extras in every 1980s movie played on TBS ever, with the exception of the girl dressed like pre-marital Avril.
More evidence of the video (and the band's) '80s homage: Koenig is dressed in a denim suit a la Michael J. Fox's Marty McFly in Back to the Future; the backyard party looks a little like the croquet scene in Heathers; there's a keytar present; Koenig's transformation (spoiler!) feels a bit like Michael Jackson's quasi-lycanthropic zombie from "Thriller."
Plus, post-modern post-hip-hop points go to VW's shout out to Louis Vuitton, Reggaeton and possible f---king.