ANNOUNCED: New album Hadsel and first single "So Many Plans"
August 30, 2023
Zach Condon, the creative force behind Beirut, has unveiled exciting news for fans with the upcoming release of his latest album, "Hadsel." The album, set to launch on November 10th via Pompeii Records, marks Condon's return after over four years, promising a collection of 12 songs that delve into the depths of darkness and emerge with a unique blend of warmth and solace.
The journey leading to "Hadsel" was both personal and geographical. After battling self-doubt and health issues, including a setback during Beirut's Gallipoli tour, Condon sought a fresh start. He found inspiration on the remote island of Hadsel, located in northern Norway. Exploring a secluded cabin with minimal daylight and surrounded by the awe-inspiring natural beauty of the region, Condon's encounter with the local Hadselkirke church organ became a turning point. This historic organ, dating back to the 1800s, became the foundation for the album's creation.
Lead single "So Many Plans," available now through Pompeii Records / Secretly Distribution, provides a glimpse into the album's essence. Condon describes the song as a harmonious blend of acceptance, hope, and resignation, reflecting the emotions of the times.
The album's creation process was a transformative experience for Condon, allowing him to confront personal challenges while being surrounded by the stunning landscapes of Norway. "During my time in Hadsel, I worked hard on the music, lost in a trance and stumbling blindly through my own mental collapse that I had been pushing aside since I was a teenager," Condon shared. "It came and rang me like a bell."
"Hadsel" showcases Condon's multi-instrumental talents, featuring trumpet, modular synthesizers, baritone ukulele, French horn, and more. The result is a tapestry of sound that bridges the gap between Beirut's roots and newfound territories.
Fans can pre-order "Hadsel" now to be among the first to experience it.
The album's tracklist includes:
- Hadsel
- Arctic Forest
- Baion
- So Many Plans
- Melbu
- Stokmarknes
- Island Life
- Spillhaugen
- January 18th
- Süddeutsches Ton-Bild-Studio
- The Tern
- Regulatory
Listen to to "So Many Plans" here.
New Single "Fyodor Dormant"
January 05, 2022
Sharing a third single from Artifacts, "Fyodor Dormant." Via Zach:
"I don’t know if people who hear most of my music would know immediately how much I loved synthesizers as a teenager. I saw them as a welcome escape from the then electric-guitar-dominated music of the States and the UK, before I was exposed to the broader spectrum of music outside of these narrow walls. I still sneak synths in around the corners of most albums, sometimes heavily, sometimes subtly. I now have access to some beautiful and unique analog systems, but back then, I had a barely functioning, shared-by-the-whole-house PC with a pirated copy of fruity loops, and I wanted to make music that could make me get off the wall and move a little, at least in my imagination. I was an often lonely and isolated teenager and rarely if ever found friends as obsessive and similar-minded about music as myself, so starting a band always ended up seeming more or less out of the question. This was my first experience being able to arrange for all parts with ease, and starting to craft sounds from simple wave shapes into something with character was an exciting endeavor that I still enjoy. It was on songs like this one that I started adding the acoustic instruments back into the mix, using a piano that was moved into the house that I fell in love with, and my dear companion the trumpet. It was from about this time at 16 years of age and on that I slowly began to shed the training wheels of the computer program and wander deeper and deeper into the unknown sonic territory of Farfisa organs, accordions and ukuleles."
Listen to "Fyodor Dormant" HERE.
New Single "So Slowly" Out Today
November 17, 2021
New single "So Slowly" out today! Via Zach:
I had a few years where all I wanted to play was the Wurlitzer for some reason. I actually first wrote this song on a white baby grand piano that was surprisingly cheap. Apparently white pianos lost their popularity as a status symbol in the thick carpeted living rooms of the 70s. I was particularly proud of the conch shell "brass section" I arranged behind the first vocal parts, using a self made horn from a huge conch shell my parents had picked up in Key West when they were still young and wild, before me and my brothers were born.
After I dropped out of highschool, I began work at a local frame shop building antique gilded frames for all the galleries in town. And when I found out how the shells, along with human femur bones, were used as early brass instruments, I took it to the frame shop to consider how to make it playable. In a moment of inspiration and impulsivity I proceeded to belt sand off the end of the shell, then drimmeled out the rough shape of a trumpet mouthpiece into the spiraled opening. It worked out better than I had imagined. I had used the shell for the opening piece of "The Flying Club Cup" already, but decided to take it to the next level on this song, letting out every sound I could conceive of it making and stacking it up to resemble rough harmonies. Nick Petree held down the rhythm section beautifully and we traded off on hand drum parts like proper Santa Fe hippies. I'd like to think this may be the first song to contain melodies done on both a prepared piano and a conch shell. I never knew where to place this song until now.
Listen to "So Slowly" HERE.
