Beirut is an American band which was originally the solo musical project of Santa Fe, New Mexico native Zachary Francis Condon and , and later expanded into a band. The music combines elements of Eastern EuropeanBalkan folk with Western pop music, fusing the American mainstream and indie-rock culture and the World Music market. Reviewers and fellow musicians have noted that "The Rip Tide" has shown Beirut with its own, more pop-oriented sound; saying, "what emerges is a style that belongs uniquely and distinctly to Beirut, one that has actually been there all along."