Labyrinthitis (album)
2022 studio album by Destroyer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
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| 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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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.[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
| 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
Track listing
| 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
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
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Album Downloads (OCC)[18] | 82 |