Songfacts®:

• This is the first single from American alternative rock band Vampire Weekend's second album, Contra.
• Keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij told Rolling Stone about the song: "'Cousins' is a song that we recorded in Mexico City. It's got probably the most demanding bass part Chris [Baio] has wrote for himself, and probably the most demanding drum part Chris Tomson ever did for himself, so it's a demanding song. Whereas 'Horchata' was a laidback slice of California pop, the "Cousins" groove kicks off fast and the energy never stops with rapid fire drums and frenzied guitars."
• Bassist Chris Baio told Rolling Stone that after conceiving the song, Vampire Weekend quickly introduced the track to their fans. "When we were in Mexico, we were working on the song, maybe it was like a Tuesday or Wednesday and that Friday we played it in Guadalajara. So it was sort of like 'Okay, we've been chipping away at this, now we get to share it.'"
• The song features Chris Baio's frenetic, punky bassline. He commented in the band's track-by-track production notes: "With this song, I wanted to make something that was fierce and thrashy but also smooth and elastic. I think it's our heaviest song."