Labyrinthitis (album)
Labyrinthitis | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 25, 2022 | |||
Recorded | Winter/Spring 2021[1] | |||
Length | 43:48 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | John Collins | |||
Destroyer chronology | ||||
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Singles from Labyrinthitis | ||||
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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
[edit]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
[edit]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.[2] "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
[edit]Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 82/100[5] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [6] |
Beats Per Minute | 85%[7] |
Financial Times | [8] |
Mojo | [9] |
musicOMH | [10] |
The Observer | [11] |
Pitchfork | 8.5/10[12] |
PopMatters | 9/10[13] |
Rolling Stone | [14] |
Uncut | 7/10[15] |
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."[6] In a review for Pitchfork, Andy Cush praised the album's complexity.[12]
The album was shortlisted for the 2022 Polaris Music Prize.[16]
Year-end lists
[edit]Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Pitchfork | The 50 Best Albums of 2022 | 30
|
Track listing
[edit]No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "It's in Your Heart Now" | 6:09 |
2. | "Suffer" | 3:29 |
3. | "June" | 6:33 |
4. | "All My Pretty Dresses" | 4:40 |
5. | "Tintoretto, It's for You" | 3:05 |
6. | "Labyrinthitis" | 3:19 |
7. | "Eat the Wine, Drink the Bread" | 3:37 |
8. | "It Takes a Thief" | 2:41 |
9. | "The States" | 6:55 |
10. | "The Last Song" | 2:34 |
Total length: | 43:48 |
Personnel
[edit]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
Charts
[edit]Chart (2022) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[18] | 82 |
References
[edit]- ^ Labyrinthitis (liner notes). Destroyer. Merge Records. 2022. MRG789.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b Bloom, Madison (January 11, 2022). "Destroyer Announces New Album Labyrinthitis, Shares Video for New Song: Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
- ^ Minsker, Evan (February 14, 2022). "Destroyer Shares New Song "Eat the Wine, Drink the Bread": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
- ^ Corcoran, Nina (March 9, 2022). "Destroyer Shares Video for New Song "June": Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
- ^ "Labyrinthitis by Destroyer Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
- ^ a b Thomas, Fred. "Labyrinthitis - Destroyer". AllMusic. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
- ^ Sentz, Tim (March 29, 2022). "Album Review: Destroyer – Labyrinthitis". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
- ^ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (March 25, 2022). "Destroyer: Labyrinthitis — dark and danceable but not an album to get lost in". Financial Times. Archived from the original on March 28, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
- ^ Segal, Victoria (April 2022). "Dizzy spells: The wonderful and frightening world of Dan Bejar continues its expansion". Mojo. No. 341. p. 86.
- ^ Murphy, David (March 22, 2022). "Destroyer – Labyrinthitis". musicOMH. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
- ^ Morris, Damien (March 27, 2022). "Destroyer: Labyrinthitis review – wayward, dance-infused weirdness". The Observer. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
- ^ a b Cush, Andy (March 24, 2022). "Destroyer: Labyrinthitis Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
- ^ Moura, Rob (March 21, 2022). "Destroyer Hit a Career Peak on the Vibrant and Pensive 'LABYRINTHITIS'". PopMatters. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
- ^ Ehrlich, Brenna (March 25, 2022). "Destroyer Take Us to a Demented Disco on 'Labyrinthitis'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
{{cite magazine}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ O'Connell, Sharon (May 2022). "Destroyer – Labyrinthitis: Anglophile shapeshifter's synth-pop 13th". Uncut. No. 300. p. 26.
- ^ Gordon, Holly (July 14, 2022). "Here's the 2022 Polaris Music Prize short list". CBC. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2022". Pitchfork. December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
- ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 2, 2022.