A Study of Losses
| A Study of Losses | ||||
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| File:Beirut – A Study of Losses.jpg | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 18, 2025 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Orchestral pop[2] | |||
| Length | 57:10 | |||
| Label | Pompeii | |||
| Beirut chronology | ||||
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| Singles from A Study of Losses | ||||
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A Study of Losses is the seventh studio album by American folk band Beirut, released on April 18, 2025, by Pompeii Records.[3][4] Featuring eighteen songs including two singles, "Caspian Tiger" and "Guericke's Unicorn", the album received positive critical reception from multiple publications, including Uncut Magazine.
Background
[edit | edit source]Recorded in Berlin, Germany and Stokmarknes, Norway, for Swedish circus Kompani Giraff,[3] A Study of Losses is based on a book titled Verzeichnis einiger Verluste by German writer Judith Schalansky.[5]
Stylistically noted as encompassing "wide-ranging chamber folk", the album consists of eighteen songs including seven instrumentals ranging between two and four minutes each, excluding "Guericke's Unicorn", which surpasses four minutes.[6] It succeeds the band's 2023 album, Hadsel.[7][8]
Beirut released the album's first single, "Caspian Tiger", on November 14, 2024.[3][9] The second single, "Guericke's Unicorn", was released on February 13, 2025, alongside a music video.[2]
Reception
[edit | edit source]| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 79/100[13] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | StarStarStarStarFile:Star empty.svg[6] |
| Hot Press | StarStarStarStarStarStarStarStarFile:Star empty.svgFile:Star empty.svg[10] |
| Pitchfork | 7.4/10[11] |
| Uncut | StarStarStarStarStarStarStarStarFile:Star empty.svgFile:Star empty.svg[12] |
A Study of Losses received positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 79 based on eight reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[14]
The Line of Best Fit remarked, "A Study of Losses finds 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."[8] Hot Press rated the album eight out of ten and stated, "The synth-based 'Ghost Train' and 'Guericke's Unicorn', while impressive, sit a little uneasily alongside the album's more acoustic core. But overall, A Study of Losses is wilfully and wonderfully odd."[10]
AllMusic assigned it a rating of four stars and described it as "appropriately melancholy in nature" and "inspired by the tale of a man obsessed with archiving humankind's lost thoughts and creations".[6] Pitchfork gave it a rating of 7.4 out of ten, and referred to it as "an example of the peculiar magic that can happen under seemingly absurd circumstances."[11] The Times commented, "Zach Condon has created a tender, sombre work which glides by with ease."[15]
Uncut noted it as "a further example of his fluency in the ancient, internationally shared languages of wonder and imagining," rating the album eight out of ten,[12] while Mojo referred to it as "what might be his most beautiful record to date, particularly the instrumental numbers".[16]
Track listing
[edit | edit source]All tracks are written by Zach Condon.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Disappearances and Losses" | 2:24 |
| 2. | "Forest Encyclopedia" | 3:49 |
| 3. | "Oceanus Procellarum" | 2:24 |
| 4. | "Villa Sacchetti" | 3:26 |
| 5. | "Mare Crisium" | 2:46 |
| 6. | "Garbo's Face" | 3:10 |
| 7. | "Mare Imbrium" | 2:11 |
| 8. | "Tuanaki Atoll" | 3:22 |
| 9. | "Mare Serenitatis" | 2:21 |
| 10. | "Guericke's Unicorn" | 4:24 |
| 11. | "Mare Humorum" | 2:38 |
| 12. | "Sappho's Poems" | 2:30 |
| 13. | "Ghost Train" | 3:41 |
| 14. | "Caspian Tiger" | 3:58 |
| 15. | "Mani's 7 Books" | 3:10 |
| 16. | "Moon Voyager" | 3:47 |
| 17. | "Mare Nectaris" | 3:42 |
| 18. | "Mare Tranquillitatis" | 3:27 |
| Total length: | 57:10 | |
Personnel
[edit | edit source]Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[1]
Beirut
[edit | edit source]- Zach Condon – vocals, recording, all instruments (except where noted)
- Nick Petree – drums (tracks 10, 15)
Additional contributors
[edit | edit source]- Francesco Donadello – mixing, mastering
- John Valesio – strings recording
- Clarice Jensen – string arrangements, cello (tracks 3, 5, 7, 9–11, 14, 15)
- Griffin Rodriguez – upright bass (tracks 3, 14)
- Laura Lutzke – violin (tracks 3, 5, 7, 9–11, 14, 15)
- Ben Russell – violin (tracks 3, 5, 7, 9–11, 14, 15)
- Kyle Miller – viola (tracks 3, 5, 7, 9–11, 14, 15)
- Linda Gaißer – artwork, photography, design
Charts
[edit | edit source]| Chart (2025) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] | 81 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[18] | 79 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] | 97 |
| UK Album Downloads (OCC)[20] | 43 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[21] | 18 |
References
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- ^ "Ultratop.be – Beirut – A Study of Losses" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Beirut – A Study of Losses" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 25, 2025.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Beirut – A Study of Losses". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
- ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 26, 2025.