Indie Folk band Beirut is gearing up to release a new album entitled Artifacts. The album will be a compilation album of B-sides, previously unreleased tracks, new material, and all sorts of older music they have recorded over the years. With over 26 songs on the tracklist, this will be quite the expansive collection of music, and it will be split up into 4 different parts that correspond to each of the different time periods and origins these tracks came from. Fans who have followed the band since its inception in 2006 can expect to hear the past sounds the band has gone through and be reminded of earlier albums. Releasing an album like this gives the unique opportunity for listeners to travel back through the history of the band and provide a break from the current sound the band is in. Artifacts is Beirut’s first album following 2019’s Gallipoli, which was reviewed on mxdwn.com

In support of this upcoming album, set to come out digitally on January 28, 2021, Beirut revealed a previously unreleased song “So Slowly.” The track is, similar to its title, a calming, piano driven song with other folksy sounding instruments thrown in to compliment the humming and subdued voice of lead singer Zach Condon. The other instrument that is worthy of attention in this song is the Conch, a rarely used musical piece that contributes to the song in a unique way. “So Slowly” is the second track released in support of Artifacts, following the release of “Fisher Island Sound” in October. You can listen to “So Slowly” below.

Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat