SGTMT fell in love with Beirut after seeing their live show and have been growing fonder of them ever since. Their soon-released The Rip Tide LP has come just at the right time, since this writer’s London seems to be coming apart at the seams thanks to a feral minority.
It’s beautiful. The perfect antidote to the madness outside the window.
We’d already heard East Harlem (above) and Goshen, released in June, the former’s nagging upbeat melody fixing itself firmly in our brain, and the latter’s slow-burning splendour reminding us what an amazing grip on melody Beirut’s Zach Condon has.
Santa Fe (below) has been a stand-out live highlight and we’re so glad still sounds tremendous on record. Stripped-down The Peacock is delightful. In fact The Rip Tide is full of lovingly crafted songwriting. It shows a Beirut ageing well, maturing without losing any of the gracefulness or melody that makes them so irresistible. I could listen to it all day.
You can listen to the whole LP here and then buy on Pompeii Records on August 29th.
