It wasn’t always relaxing, the six-year break between Vampire Weekend’s last album and its new one, but not because Ezra Koenig didn’t have time to chill.

Sure, the frontman kept moderately busy with projects outside the band known for its globe-hopping style and arch, prep-school attitude. There was the animated series he made for Netflix and a radio show on Apple’s Beats 1; there was the tune he wrote for the movie “Peter Rabbit” and his performance with Karen O at the Academy Awards.