Labyrinthitis (album) explained

Labyrinthitis
Type:	studio
Artist:	Destroyer
Cover:	Labyrinthitis (Destroyer).png
Border:	yes
Released:	March 25, 2022
Recorded:	Winter/Spring 2021^[1]
Length:	43:48
Producer:	John Collins
Prev Title:	Have We Met
Prev Year:	2020

Labyrinthitis (stylized in all caps) is the thirteenth studio album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer, released on March 25, 2022, by Merge Records and Bella Union.

Background and recording

Labyrinthitis was created by frontman Dan Bejar with longtime collaborator and producer John Collins and the Destroyer band. The album was primarily written in 2020 and recorded in winter/spring 2021. Bejar worked remotely from his home in Vancouver and Collins on Galiano Island, with the two sending ideas to each other from their respective locations.^[2]

Release

The album was announced on January 11, 2022, and "Tintoretto, It's for You" was released as its first single with an accompanying music video directed by David Galloway. "Eat the Wine, Drink the Bread" was released as the album's second single on February 14, 2022.^[3] "June" was released as the album's third single on March 9, 2022, accompanied by a music video co-directed by Galloway and Bejar.^[4]

Critical reception

Fred Thomas, in his review for AllMusic, called the album "another exciting step forward in Destroyer's never-ending evolution, delivering pleasant confusion and unexpected choices along with the kind of fractured but magical songwriting of which only Bejar is capable." In a review for Pitchfork, Andy Cush praised the album's complexity.

The album was shortlisted for the 2022 Polaris Music Prize.^[5]

Year-end lists

Pitchfork	The 50 Best Albums of 2022

Personnel

Destroyer

• Dan Bejar – vocals, synthesizer, guitar
• John Collins – bass, synthesizer, guitar, drum programming, production, mixing
• Ted Bois – piano, synthesizer, photography
• Nicolas Bragg – guitar
• David Carswell – guitar
• JP Carter – trumpet
• Joshua Wells – drums, percussion

Additional personnel

• Joe LaPorta – mastering
• Sydney Hermant – cover painting
• Daniel Murphy – design

Notes and References

1. Labyrinthitis. Destroyer. 2022. Merge Records. liner notes. MRG789.
2. Web site: Bloom. Madison. January 11, 2022. Destroyer Announces New Album Labyrinthitis, Shares Video for New Song: Watch. March 25, 2022. Pitchfork.
3. Web site: Minsker. Evan. February 14, 2022. Destroyer Shares New Song "Eat the Wine, Drink the Bread": Listen. March 25, 2022. Pitchfork.
4. Web site: Corcoran . Nina . March 9, 2022 . Destroyer Shares Video for New Song "June": Watch . March 25, 2022 . Pitchfork.
5. Web site: Here's the 2022 Polaris Music Prize short list. Gordon. Holly. July 14, 2022. CBC. September 20, 2022.