Beirut are making a return and are doing so with the release of their brand new song “Caspian Tiger” and has also announced their first proper tour in around six years that will have dates in Europe and the United Kingdon.
The new song was originally composed by Zach Condon for the soundtrack to the Swedish contemporary circus company Kompani Giraff’s new project called ‘A Study of Losses’ and the music video was by Jan Pivoňka.
“When I was first approached about writing a soundtrack for a circus, a certain amount of Elephant Gun-era trauma initially came rushing up,” Condon said in an official press release. “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.”
Beirut will hit the road for a five date tour in May 2025 and will perform at Netherlands’ TivoliVredenburg, Cirque Royal in Brussels, and London’s O2 Academy Brixton.
You can check out the new song below:
