Vampire Weekend at Bonnaroo, 2008. Photo by Julie Schnee.

Vampire Weekend has released a new six-song studio project in time for the holidays. The “iTunes Session” contains six tracks recorded this past September at New York’s Avatar Studios, including a completely reworked rocksteady version of VW’s current single, “Holiday.” The session also features new versions of previously recorded songs “A-Punk”, “Cousins” and “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” as well as covers of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m Going Down” and The Honeycombs’ “Have I The Right.” The quartet is backed by a horn section throughout the six-song release.

In related news, Vampire Weekend keyboardist/producer Rostam Batmanglij will perform with the The Calder Quartet at New York’s LPR on January 9. The Calder Quartet has added classical instrumentation to recordings by The Airborne Toxic Event, Vampire Weekend and Andrew W.K, among others