Hadsel is the first new full-length record since Beirut’s 2019 release, “Gallipoli,” and the first on Zach Condon’s own label, Pompeii Records. Recorded in the Norwegian island of Hadsel shortly after a physical and mental break forced Condon to cancel is 2019 tour, Condon was looking for a place to recover after being left in a state of shock and self-doubt.
Working in isolation, Condon explains, “I was lost in a trance, stumbling blindly through my own mental collapse that I had been pushing aside since I was a teenager. It came and rang me like a bell. I was left agonising many things past and present while the beauty of the nature, the northern lights and fearsome storms played an awesome show around me. The few hours of light would expose the unfathomable beauty of the mountains and the fjords, and the hours- long twilights would fill me with subdued excitement. I’d like to believe that scenery is somehow present in the music.
The resulting is collection of songs beautifully reflect that vulnerability, sense of self-determination and belief that after collapse, one can learn to manage on their own again.
Working in isolation, Condon explains, “I was lost in a trance, stumbling blindly through my own mental collapse that I had been pushing aside since I was a teenager. It came and rang me like a bell. I was left agonising many things past and present while the beauty of the nature, the northern lights and fearsome storms played an awesome show around me. The few hours of light would expose the unfathomable beauty of the mountains and the fjords, and the hours- long twilights would fill me with subdued excitement. I’d like to believe that scenery is somehow present in the music.
The resulting is collection of songs beautifully reflect that vulnerability, sense of self-determination and belief that after collapse, one can learn to manage on their own again.
STAFF COMMENTS
Barry says: Hadsel takes the foundation so perfectly laid by Beirut's extensive discography and moves the whole kit and/or caboodle into the icy climes of Norway. It's not dampened any of the warmth in Condon's music, but it lends a certain crystalline beauty and swimming, airy sparsity. Evocative and beautiful throughout.TRACK LISTING
SIDE A
1. Hadsel
2. Arctic Forest
3. Baion
4. So Many Plans
5. Melbu
6. Stokmarknes
SIDE B
7. Island Life
8. Spillhaugen
9. January 18th
10. Süddeutsches Ton-Bild
11. The Tern
12. Regulatory