Modern Vampires of the City is a novelette based on the popular third album from indie gods Vampire Weekend, which is named "Modern Vampires of the City." The album touched author Jacob Landrum deeply and emotionally, and he felt that there were characters in the songs that needed to be explored more than just in a sonic space, so he set about doing that. The story is extremely short, and the titles of the chapters align with the titles of the songs from the album. The text draws inspiration from the album itself, as well as improvisations by Landrum.