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.

Labyrinthitis
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 25, 2022
RecordedWinter/Spring 2021[1]
Length43:48
Label
ProducerJohn Collins
Destroyer chronology
Have We Met
(2020)
Labyrinthitis
(2022)
Singles from Labyrinthitis
  1. "Tintoretto, It's for You"
    Released: January 11, 2022
  2. "Eat the Wine, Drink the Bread"
    Released: February 14, 2022
  3. "June"
    Released: March 9, 2022

Background and recording

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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

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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

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic82/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [6]
Beats Per Minute85%[7]
Financial Times     [8]
Mojo     [9]
musicOMH     [10]
The Observer     [11]
Pitchfork8.5/10[12]
PopMatters9/10[13]
Rolling Stone     [14]
Uncut7/10[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

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Labyrinthitis on year-end lists
Publication List Rank Ref.
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2022
30

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
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

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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

Charts

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Chart performance for Labyrinthitis
Chart (2022) Peak
position
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[18] 82

References

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  1. ^ Labyrinthitis (liner notes). Destroyer. Merge Records. 2022. MRG789.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^ a b Bloom, Madison (January 11, 2022). "Destroyer Announces New Album Labyrinthitis, Shares Video for New Song: Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  3. ^ Minsker, Evan (February 14, 2022). "Destroyer Shares New Song "Eat the Wine, Drink the Bread": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  4. ^ Corcoran, Nina (March 9, 2022). "Destroyer Shares Video for New Song "June": Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  5. ^ "Labyrinthitis by Destroyer Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Thomas, Fred. "Labyrinthitis - Destroyer". AllMusic. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  7. ^ Sentz, Tim (March 29, 2022). "Album Review: Destroyer – Labyrinthitis". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ Segal, Victoria (April 2022). "Dizzy spells: The wonderful and frightening world of Dan Bejar continues its expansion". Mojo. No. 341. p. 86.
  10. ^ Murphy, David (March 22, 2022). "Destroyer – Labyrinthitis". musicOMH. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  11. ^ Morris, Damien (March 27, 2022). "Destroyer: Labyrinthitis review – wayward, dance-infused weirdness". The Observer. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Cush, Andy (March 24, 2022). "Destroyer: Labyrinthitis Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  13. ^ Moura, Rob (March 21, 2022). "Destroyer Hit a Career Peak on the Vibrant and Pensive 'LABYRINTHITIS'". PopMatters. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  14. ^ 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)
  15. ^ O'Connell, Sharon (May 2022). "Destroyer – Labyrinthitis: Anglophile shapeshifter's synth-pop 13th". Uncut. No. 300. p. 26.
  16. ^ Gordon, Holly (July 14, 2022). "Here's the 2022 Polaris Music Prize short list". CBC. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  17. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2022". Pitchfork. December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  18. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 2, 2022.