Beirut has shared a new song, “Caspian Tiger,” originally written for the Swedish circus performance artists Kompani Giraff. Watch them bring it to life below. The song, released on Zach Condon’s own Pompeii Records, is set to appear on a forthcoming Beirut album, following last year’s Hadsel. Read a statement from Condon below, and scroll down to find a stint of European tour dates—Beirut’s first proper tour since canceling shows with a throat ailment in 2019. (Condon performed a handful of shows at Berlin’s Tempodrom this year, but did not tour.)
Zach Condon:
When I was first approached about writing a soundtrack for a circus, a certain amount of Elephant Gun era trauma initially came rushing up. I had been pigeon-holed for years as a whimsical circus waif, full of sepia-toned images of penny farthings and perhaps lion tamers with handlebar moustaches. It couldn’t have been further from how I pictured the music I was making. I had been quietly avoiding the subject for years.
Ironic then, that I found Kompani Giraff’s project so enticing, and writing something for acrobats to perform so enjoyable. “Caspian Tiger” was one of the first songs I wrote for the new album, with images in mind of the poor animals caged or fighting in Roman colosseums. They had been taken from the Asian steppes around the Caspian Sea and from as far east as Tashkent, an area I’ve been fascinated by for years. The sonic influence came in large part from choir music that I was obsessing over at the time.
Perhaps I subconsciously aimed to embrace and even improve on the imagery I had been originally written off for.
All products featured on Pitchfork are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Beirut:
05-01 Utrecht, Netherlands – TivoliVredenburg – Grote Zaal
05-02 Utrecht, Netherlands – TivoliVredenburg – Grote Zaal
05-05 Brussels, Belgium – Cirque Royal
05-06 Brussels, Belgium – Cirque Royal
05-08 London, England – O2 Academy Brixton
