Meyad’s “Beirut” is a passionate journey navigating loss
Beginning the track with hopeful acoustic strumming, a soft, atmospheric synth outlines the opening melody of “Beirut,” and instantly it’s a feel-good track. The indie-folk song was made in a shed in Twickenham, which somehow seems fitting with the soft, fairytale-like feeling about it. It’s childlike in its simplicity and introspection, with gentle vocals, and forgiving instrumentals. The lyrics tell vivid stories in small phrases like, “kids resist their sleepy eyes in the carriage that they’re in.”
It feels like some childhood dream of discovery, but it’s slightly deceiving in that way, as the instrumentals grow and the song thickens. Suddenly, the soft acts of observation in the lyrics merge with the stark reality of adulthood as Meyad talks about missing people and recalls, “I could laugh in the face of the coroner.”
The very introspective nature of the song builds in its emotional value throughout. Starting off there is only soft guitar, but it builds steadily with rustic piano chords and drums added on. Slowly it builds in intensity until the emotion spills over into a collection of haunting and sweeping strings, a climax that has rustic and regretful elements full of passion.
The apparent emotion of the song is very real, as “Beirut” was written by Meyad for his brother that passed away. The lyrics for this track are also based on a poem written by a friend. Despite the unconventional nature of the recording space, the song is clean and mixed well and Meyad himself calls it “the best song [he’s] written so far.” Listen to the track below to feel the crescendo of passion for yourself.
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