Beirut Explores A Mysteriously Forgotten Paradise On "Tuanaki Atoll," Latest Single From Sprawling New Album

First Tour Dates In Six Years Continue To Sell Out, Shows Begin May 1st

One month from today, on April 18th, Zach Condon will release the largest and most unexpected Beirut album to date. An 18-track odyssey commissioned by Swedish circus Kompani Giraff, and inspired by German author Judith Schalansky's novel Verzeichnis einiger Verluste, A Study of Losses is "his most ambitious yet, a spread of indie pop with a strong choral element, folktronica, canzone, ambient, modern chamber pop and medieval and Renaissance music," writes UNCUT, in a rave review that leads the March issue. "A further example of his fluency in the ancient, internationally shared languages of wonder and imagining."

While A Study of Losses journeys through eleven songs and seven extended instrumental themes – named after the lunar seas and inspired by the chilling tale of a man obsessed with archiving all of humanity's lost thoughts and creations – new single "Tuanaki Atoll"explores a South Pacific paradise that strangely vanished in the 19th Century. 

Listen to "Tuanaki Atoll," out via Zach Condon's own Pompeii Records:

HERE

"The Tuanaki Atoll is said to have been an Eden-like island somewhere in the South Pacific that mysteriously disappeared under the sea during an earthquake in the 1840s. Its inhabitants were described as a people so peaceful and generous that they had no word in their language for such things as war or murder. It might be almost too obvious of a choice but nothing could fit the island vibes better than a sweet and breezy ukulele which became the foundation that I built this song around. Contrastingly yet somewhat fittingly, the lyrics took on a darker edge and ended up reflecting that side of the story. Maybe because personally I doubt that such an Eden-like place could ever exist on Earth."

-Zach Condon

Like "Tuanaki Atoll," A Study of Losses finds Zach Condon writing about disappearance, preservation and the impermanence of everything known to us – extinct animal species, lost architectural and literary treasures, the process of aging and other abstract concepts. But musically, he is re-immersed in choir, renaissance and other early styles that have inspired Beirut's itinerant evolution, as well as variations of sounds and ideas that draw upon one of his all-time favorite records, the Magnetic Fields' 69 Love Songs. 

Brought to life by an acrobatic stage show of the same name, A Study of Losses marks the second new Beirut album in just two years, and the continuation of another characteristically prolific chapter for Zach Condon. Emerging from a half-decade spent recovering from persistent throat issues and impending mental collapse – leaving him questioning whether he would ever perform in front of an audience again – the sprawling collection arrives on the heels of Hadsel, which marked "a new beginning for Beirut," praised Pitchfork, calling it "a record born of despair and solitude that still feels full of life." Whereas Hadsel was centered around a towering, antique church organ that Condon discovered during a dark arctic winter in Northern Norway, A Study of Losses is brightened by string quartets and arrangements from cellist and "No No No" collaborator Clarice Jensen.

"Tuanaki Atoll" follows the jaunty modular synth experiment that unfolds on "Guericke's Unicorn," and the haunting, undulating "Caspian Tiger," accompanied by videos that show Kompani Giraff's stunning array of choreography, shadow puppetry and stage design. 

Written and recorded by Zach Condon in both Berlin, DE and Stokmarknes, NO, with the album's roots spanning Sweden and Germany, A Study of Losses expands the wide world that he has built through the music of Beirut, ever since he first began the project as a curious and restless 14-year-old. Later this spring, Condon will soon return to the road for Beirut's first tour since 2019. From May 1st-9th, he will be backed by a new and returning ensemble of band members, playing sets that span Beirut's discography and A Study of Losses. Shows have continued to sell out quickly, with remaining tickets available at beirutband.com/tour.