Destroyer (band)
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Destroyer is a Canadian
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
band from
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
, formed in 1995. The band is fronted by founding member and lead vocalist
Dan Bejar Daniel Bejar ( ; born October 4, 1972) is a Canadian singer and musician from Vancouver, British Columbia. He is the frontman of Destroyer, and was a member of indie rock band the New Pornographers. Overview In 2006, he joined with Carey Merc ...
, with a collective of regular band members and collaborators joining him in the studio and during live performances. Alongside Bejar, Destroyer currently includes longtime producers John Collins (bass) and David Carswell (guitar), Nicolas Bragg (lead guitar), Ted Bois (keyboards), JP Carter (trumpet) and Joshua Wells (drums). The band's discography draws on a variety of musical influences, resulting in albums that can sound markedly distinct from one another; in Bejar's words, "That's kind of my goal: to start from scratch every time." Destroyer have released fourteen studio albums to date, with their most recent, ''
Dan's Boogie ''Dan's Boogie'' is the fourteenth studio album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer, released on March 28, 2025, on Merge Records. Preceded by the singles, "Bologna", "Hydroplaning Off the Edge of the World" and "Cataract Time", the album was pr ...
'', released in March 2025.


Career


1996–2001: ''We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge'', ''City of Daughters'', ''Thief,'' ''Streethawk: A Seduction''

''
We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge ''We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge'' is the debut album by Destroyer. Originally released on Tinker Recordings in 1996, it was reissued by Scratch Records on October 24, 2006. The album's title is an allusion to Leo Tolstoy's novel ''War and Pea ...
'', Destroyer's 1996 debut, is made up of sixteen
lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate stylistic ch ...
home-recordings. One reviewer suggested that the album combines Bejar's "gift for melodies" with "a concerted effort to make the recording downright inconsumable; the guitars are always out of tune, and the vocals of
Fisher-Price Fisher-Price, Inc. is an American company that produces educational toys for infants, toddlers and preschoolers, headquartered in East Aurora, New York, East Aurora, New York (state), New York. It was founded in 1930 during the Great Depression ...
quality. 'Static means punk / tuning is junk,' Bejar moans on one track." '' Ideas for Songs'', released on cassette in 1997, features songs akin to those on his first album. The cassette stemmed from a request to contribute songs for a compilation album. As Bejar gained popularity in Vancouver's music scene, he was joined by producer John Collins for 1998's '' City of Daughters'', which was recorded at a proper studio.
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
noted that the songs still sounded "homespun", also noting " e wordiness that would become something of a trademark is in full effect", but that "unlike much of what came later, not every line is worthy of examination." ''
Thief Theft (, cognate to ) is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal short ...
'' (2000) embodied "Bejar's first stab at matching his grandiose, idiosyncratic vision to a showier sound"; it was the first to feature a backing band on every track. The record's "anthemic yet understated" piano-driven ballads have characteristically enigmatic lyrics, though some reviewers interpreted them as critiques of the music industry. '' Streethawk: A Seduction'' (2001) realized the sonic refinement started with '' City of Daughters''. Bejar put it this way: "I don't think it gives credence to any kind of conceptualization of the records, but I hope that City of Daughters, Thief, and Streethawk will pop into some kind of a progression that ends with Streethawk." A critical success, the album retrospectively received a rating of 9.1/10 from Pitchfork.


2002–2007: ''This Night'', ''Your Blues'', ''Destroyer's Rubies''

The 2002 rock album '' This Night'' was a dramatic change in style. The looser, less rehearsed style was criticized as "messy ndhaphazard without purpose", though other critics praised the "beautiful mess of sounds" as "challenging... nda powerful, cohesive whole." In a 2006 interview (after the release of ''
Your Blues ''Your Blues'' is the sixth studio album by Destroyer, released on March 8, 2004 by Merge Records, Trifekta Records, Scratch Records, Talitres Records, and Acuarela Discos. It is a notable departure from the full-band format of Destroyer's prev ...
'' and ''
Destroyer's Rubies ''Destroyer's Rubies'' is the seventh studio album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer, released on February 21, 2006 on Merge Records, Scratch Records, Acuarela Discos, Architecture, and Rough Trade Records. Musical style Dan Bejar has stated t ...
''), Bejar said the album "came together pretty quickly – we probably could have used more than four or five days to mix the whole thing, but that's all hindsight. It's still my favorite Destroyer record." ''
Your Blues ''Your Blues'' is the sixth studio album by Destroyer, released on March 8, 2004 by Merge Records, Trifekta Records, Scratch Records, Talitres Records, and Acuarela Discos. It is a notable departure from the full-band format of Destroyer's prev ...
'' (2004) saw Destroyer take another unexpected turn, using
MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface (; MIDI) is an American-Japanese technical standard that describes a communication protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, ...
instrumentation for almost all the backing music. Bejar coined the term "European blues" to describe its unique, theatrical sound. One reviewer pointed out that "Bejar's unusual voice sounds more confident, and higher up" in the synth-rich arrangements. In another twist, the EP ''
Notorious Lightning & Other Works ''Notorious Lightning and Other Works'' is an EP by Destroyer, released on January 25, 2005, on Merge Records. After shocking many fans by supporting the synth-driven album '' Your Blues'' with the avant-guitar band Frog Eyes, Dan Bejar decided to ...
'' reworked six tracks from the record with a live band, the very thing the LP had forsaken (the band was
Frog Eyes Frog Eyes are an indie rock band from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada fronted by Carey Mercer. Their 2010 album ''Paul's Tomb: A Triumph'' was a longlisted nominee for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize. They have released ten albums and two EPs ...
, who toured with Destroyer in support of ''Your Blues''). Bejar returned with a live band for 2006's ''
Destroyer's Rubies ''Destroyer's Rubies'' is the seventh studio album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer, released on February 21, 2006 on Merge Records, Scratch Records, Acuarela Discos, Architecture, and Rough Trade Records. Musical style Dan Bejar has stated t ...
'', delivering his most confident record up to that point. The backing band took new-found prominence and, according to Bejar, " e production seems... warm and lush and pretty focused on just making the band sound good and having everything sit well together." ''Now'' magazine observed, " ile the sheer density of Bejar's writing can be overwhelming, ''Destroyer's Rubies'' is, on a musical level, the most 'accessible' disc he's released."


2008–2013: ''Trouble in Dreams'', ''Kaputt''

For ''
Trouble in Dreams ''Trouble in Dreams'' is the eighth LP from Destroyer, released on March 18, 2008 by Merge Records. The album was preceded by the single "Foam Hands", released on December 4, 2007. The album was leaked to the internet in January 2008. Productio ...
'' (2008), "there was a scary lack of ideas coming into the record", Bejar admitted. Destroyer's piano player Ted Bois took it upon himself, as an alternative to keyboard and piano accompaniment, to create all string and synth arrangements for the songs. At the time, Bejar said it was the "hardest record" to make. After the 2009 EP ''
Bay of Pigs The Bay of Pigs () is an inlet of the Gulf of Cazones, located on the southern coast of Cuba. By 1910 it was included in Santa Clara Province, and then to Las Villas Province by 1961, but in 1976, it was reassigned to Matanzas Province, when ...
'' came 2011's full-length album, '' Kaputt'' (featuring a slightly modified "Bay of Pigs" track). Bejar cited influences such as
Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...
and
Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry (lead vocals/keyboards/principal songwriter) and Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson (bass). By the time the band recorded their Roxy Music (album), first albu ...
for his new jazz-infused,
lounge music Lounge music is a type of easy listening music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It may be meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place, usually with a tranquil theme, such as a jungle, an island paradise or outer space. The ra ...
-inspired,
sophisti-pop Sophisti-pop is a pop music subgenre that developed during the mid-1980s out of the British new wave era. It originated with acts who blended elements of jazz, soul, and pop with lavish production. The term "sophisti-pop" was coined only afte ...
direction. In multiple interviews, Bejar variously stressed that he "sang in a completely different manner, almost unconscious of even singing, more like speaking into a vacuum, and was really happy with the results." The record entailed a number of firsts for Destroyer: first national television performance (on ''
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon ''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show was the third installment of the '' Late Night'' franchise. Hosted by Jimmy Fallon,
''); first official music video; first female backing vocals; and the first time Bejar performed without an instrument on tour – his concentration placed solely on his singing. '' Kaputt'' was short listed for the
2011 Polaris Music Prize The 2011 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 19, 2011
and was Pitchfork's second best album of 2011. Smaller in scale, Destroyer's fourth EP '' Five Spanish Songs'' is sung entirely in Spanish, Bejar covered songs by Sr. Chinarro ( es). Bejar's own tongue-in-cheek press release announcing the new songs began: "It was 2013. The English language seemed spent, despicable, not easily singable."


2014–2019: ''Poison Season, ken''

Bejar released ''
Poison Season ''Poison Season'' is the tenth studio album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer, released on August 28, 2015, by Merge Records and Dead Oceans Records. Release The first song released from ''Poison Season'', "Dream Lover", was posted on SoundClo ...
'' on August 28, 2015. Bejar notes that the album's sound grew from "just really getting into what we were sounding like playing live ollowing ''Kaputt''" Bejar added that he would not have been able to make such an ambitious album if ''Kaputt'' had not been successful. Recorded with a live band and a pronounced string section, the album's "grand cinematic set of songs" feature Bejar singing with a broader range than before: "This is the first record that I've ever done that comes close to my idea of myself as a singer", Bejar said. In 2017, Bejar released ''
ken Ken or KEN may refer to: Entertainment * ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer * ''Ken'' (film), a 1965 Japanese film * ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine * Ken Masters, a main character in th ...
'', an album produced by Destroyer drummer Joshua Wells (who was also a member of Black Mountain).


2020–present: ''Have We Met'', ''Labyrinthitis'', and ''Dan's Boogie''

Destroyer's twelfth studio album, '' Have We Met'', was released on January 31, 2020. On March 25, 2022, the band's thirteenth studio album, ''
Labyrinthitis Labyrinthitis is inflammation of the labyrinth, a maze of fluid-filled channels in the inner ear. Vestibular neuritis is inflammation of the vestibular nerve (the nerve in the ear that sends messages related to motion and position to the brain) ...
'', was released. It was short-listed for the 2023
Polaris Music Prize The Polaris Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label. The award was established in 2006 with a $20,000 cash prize. The prize was inc ...
. On March 28th 2025, the band released their fourteenth album, ''
Dan's Boogie ''Dan's Boogie'' is the fourteenth studio album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer, released on March 28, 2025, on Merge Records. Preceded by the singles, "Bologna", "Hydroplaning Off the Edge of the World" and "Cataract Time", the album was pr ...
'' . It was critically acclaimed, with
Pitchfork (magazine) ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres including pop, hip-hop, ...
giving the album an 8/10 and the album being longlisted for the
2025 Polaris Music Prize The 2025 edition of the Canada, Canadian Polaris Music Prize will be presented on September 16, 2025 at Massey Hall.Kerry Doole"Polaris Music Prize Announces 40-Album 2025 Long List, Announces SOCAN Polaris Song Prize" ''Billboard (magazine), Bil ...
.


Band name

In 2002, Bejar said about the band name, "I kind of wanted to go for a rock 'n' roll name. In our own special way we're tearing shit apart, you just have to listen very carefully. Musically I knew it was never going to be a metal band, but I thought lyrically there were fangs to the music." Bejar added in 2008, "I was actually so out of it I didn't know that there was a Kiss record called Destroyer because I didn't know anything about
Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
. I still don't know anything about them. I just thought it was a cool rock-and-roll name, and I was kind of blown away that it hadn't been taken already. I was like, 'I have to use this because it's so weird that no one's used it before.'"


Collaborators

The ever-evolving band lineup can give the impression that Destroyer is a solo project. However, Bejar has insisted " e music is always collaborative and I think that gets lost in the weird cult of personality shit that seems to get whipped up around me." Although Bejar had claimed that the lineup from certain recording sessions would be permanent, later recording sessions and tours added and dropped musicians. Several band members have the commonality of being from the production team of JC/DC (John Collins and David Carswell). Some songs recorded for ''Your Blues'' originated from Bejar's musical contribution to
Sheila Heti Sheila Heti (; born 25 December 1976) is a Canadian writer. Early life Sheila Heti was born on 25 December 1976 in Toronto. Her parents are Hungarian Jewish immigrants. Her brother is comedian David Heti. Sheila Heti attended St. Clement's ...
's play ''All Our Happy Days Are Stupid''. On the EP '' Archer on the Beach'' (2010), Bejar worked with ambient-music composer
Tim Hecker Tim Hecker is a Canadian electronic musician, producer, composer, and sound artist. His work, spanning albums such as '' Harmony in Ultraviolet'' (2006), '' Ravedeath, 1972'' (2011) and '' Virgins'' (2013), has been widely critically acclaimed. ...
for the title track. Bejar wrote in the press release: "The reason why this has to be seen as a collaboration, rather than strictly a Destroyer release, is that, for the first time, I'm not responsible for any of the music ... aside from the vocals, the general chord progression." On the B-side, the
spoken word Spoken word is an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a 20th-century continuation of an oral tradition, ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetic ...
song "Grief Point",
Loscil Loscil is the electronic/ambient music project of Scott Morgan from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Morgan launched the project in Vancouver in 1998 while a member of the multimedia collective Multiplex, which curated audiovisual events at a ...
provided the music. Loscil also composed an extra track, "Loscil's Rubies", on the vinyl version of ''Destroyer's Rubies''. American visual artist
Kara Walker Kara Elizabeth Walker (born November 26, 1969) is an American contemporary painter, silhouettist, printmaker, installation artist, filmmaker, and professor who explores Race (classification of human beings), race, gender, human sexuality, sexual ...
contributed to the lyrics for '' Kaputt''s "Suicide Demo (For Kara Walker)". Organized by
Merge Merge, merging, or merger may refer to: Concepts * Merge (traffic), the reduction of the number of lanes on a road * Merge (linguistics), a basic syntactic operation in generative syntax in the Minimalist Program * Merger (politics), the comb ...
, Walker sent cue cards with bits of text to Bejar in 2009. Bejar's wife, Vancouver artist and
Hello, Blue Roses Hello, Blue Roses is a Canadian musical collaboration involving Sydney Hermant, a visual artist from Vancouver, and her husband Dan Bejar (of Destroyer and The New Pornographers). History Hello, Blue Roses was created by Hermant and Bejar in 200 ...
partner Sydney Hermant, has provided the cover art for multiple Destroyer albums, including ''We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge'', ''This Night'', ''Your Blues,'' ''Trouble in Dreams and Labyrinthitis''.


Members

Current members *
Dan Bejar Daniel Bejar ( ; born October 4, 1972) is a Canadian singer and musician from Vancouver, British Columbia. He is the frontman of Destroyer, and was a member of indie rock band the New Pornographers. Overview In 2006, he joined with Carey Merc ...
– lead vocals, guitar, synthesisers *John Collins – bass guitar, synthesisers, programming, production *Nicolas Bragg – lead guitar *Ted Bois – keyboards *David Carswell – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals, production *JP Carter – trumpet *Joshua Wells – drums, percussion, backing vocals, keyboards Former members * Scott Morgan – drums, saxophone, clarinet, classical guitar *Jason Zumpano – keyboards *Stephen Wood – guitar *Chris Frey – bass guitar *Fisher Rose – drums, vibraphone, trumpet *Tim Loewen – bass guitar *Pete Bourne – drums *
Joseph Shabason Joseph Shabason is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist and composer. He is best known for playing the saxophone. As a band member and session musician, Shabason has contributed to bands such as DIANA, Destroyer and The War on Drugs. Under his own nam ...
– saxophone, flutes Former touring members *Colin Cowan – bass guitar *
Carey Mercer Carey Mercer (born c. 1975) is a Canadian musician best known for his work as lead singer of the indie rock band Frog Eyes and his work in Swan Lake, Blackout Beach, and The Republic of Freedom Fighters. Overview Following the breakup of the Can ...
– backing vocals, guitar, organ * Melanie Campbell – drums * Michael Rak – bass guitar * Grayson Walker – keyboards


Discography

Studio albums *''
We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge ''We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge'' is the debut album by Destroyer. Originally released on Tinker Recordings in 1996, it was reissued by Scratch Records on October 24, 2006. The album's title is an allusion to Leo Tolstoy's novel ''War and Pea ...
'' (1996) *'' City of Daughters'' (1998) *''
Thief Theft (, cognate to ) is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal short ...
'' (2000) *'' Streethawk: A Seduction'' (2001) *'' This Night'' (2002) *''
Your Blues ''Your Blues'' is the sixth studio album by Destroyer, released on March 8, 2004 by Merge Records, Trifekta Records, Scratch Records, Talitres Records, and Acuarela Discos. It is a notable departure from the full-band format of Destroyer's prev ...
'' (2004) *''
Destroyer's Rubies ''Destroyer's Rubies'' is the seventh studio album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer, released on February 21, 2006 on Merge Records, Scratch Records, Acuarela Discos, Architecture, and Rough Trade Records. Musical style Dan Bejar has stated t ...
'' (2006) *''
Trouble in Dreams ''Trouble in Dreams'' is the eighth LP from Destroyer, released on March 18, 2008 by Merge Records. The album was preceded by the single "Foam Hands", released on December 4, 2007. The album was leaked to the internet in January 2008. Productio ...
'' (2008) *'' Kaputt'' (2011) *''
Poison Season ''Poison Season'' is the tenth studio album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer, released on August 28, 2015, by Merge Records and Dead Oceans Records. Release The first song released from ''Poison Season'', "Dream Lover", was posted on SoundClo ...
'' (2015) *''
ken Ken or KEN may refer to: Entertainment * ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer * ''Ken'' (film), a 1965 Japanese film * ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine * Ken Masters, a main character in th ...
'' (2017) *'' Have We Met'' (2020) *''
Labyrinthitis Labyrinthitis is inflammation of the labyrinth, a maze of fluid-filled channels in the inner ear. Vestibular neuritis is inflammation of the vestibular nerve (the nerve in the ear that sends messages related to motion and position to the brain) ...
'' (2022) *''
Dan's Boogie ''Dan's Boogie'' is the fourteenth studio album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer, released on March 28, 2025, on Merge Records. Preceded by the singles, "Bologna", "Hydroplaning Off the Edge of the World" and "Cataract Time", the album was pr ...
'' (2025) EPs *''
Notorious Lightning & Other Works ''Notorious Lightning and Other Works'' is an EP by Destroyer, released on January 25, 2005, on Merge Records. After shocking many fans by supporting the synth-driven album '' Your Blues'' with the avant-guitar band Frog Eyes, Dan Bejar decided to ...
'' (2005) *''
Bay of Pigs The Bay of Pigs () is an inlet of the Gulf of Cazones, located on the southern coast of Cuba. By 1910 it was included in Santa Clara Province, and then to Las Villas Province by 1961, but in 1976, it was reassigned to Matanzas Province, when ...
'' (2009) *'' Archer on the Beach'' (2010) *'' Five Spanish Songs'' (2013) Music videos


References


External links


Destroyer at Merge Records

Destroyer at Misra Records

Dan Bejar's 'Other' Band
NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
segment aired March 18, 2006
Destroyer
– Cover story on Destroyer in ''Exclaim!'' magazine
May 2008 Interview
with L.A. Record {{DEFAULTSORT:Destroyer Musical groups from Vancouver Canadian indie rock groups Merge Records artists Musical groups established in 1995 1995 establishments in British Columbia Musical groups with year of establishment missing Dead Oceans artists Misra Records artists