The b-side to Beirut’s lead single “East Harlem” that we posted last week off their upcoming third LP The Rip Tide is a doozy. Maybe it’s the piano, but frontman Zach Condon stops wandering for a while to add up the things he’s seen. It’s still their patented brand of European musicality filtered through a Western pop sensibility, but delivered from a fixed place.
The contrast of the immediacy of the vocals and the polished veil of the full orchestral sound is likely explained by the fact that Condon writes all the songs first simply on ukulele or piano and then builds around it. There’s a whimsicality and effortlessness in his music that can’t be taught, and you believe him when he says “sound is the color I know.”
The music feels more honest in its permanence, veering a bit away from the nomadic sound they became known for. It’s a song so intimate that leaves without saying goodbye, and by its end, all you hear in your head is “you’re not the girl I used to know.” Supposedly Condon’s most introspective album yet (and featuring Sharon Van Etten), The Rip Tide is out August 30th, check out the tracklist and the track below.
The Rip Tide
A Candle’s Fire
Santa Fe
East Harlem
Goshen
Payne’s Bay
The Rip Tide
Vagabond
The Peacock
Port of Call
