The Destroyer (Part 2)
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''The Destroyer (Part 2)'' is the fourth studio album by Canadian
electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...
project
TR/ST TR/ST (previously known as Trust) is the Canadian electronic music project of Robert Alfons. It was formed as a band in 2010 when Alfons met Maya Postepski of Austra, but Postepski left in 2012. The project has released five albums: '' TRST'' ...
, fronted by Robert Alfons. Released on November 1, 2019 through Alfons's Grouch record label, it is the second half of the two-part album with the same name; the first part, '' The Destroyer (Part 1)'', was released in April of the same year. The album features contributions from previous member Maya Postepski, as well as additional production from
Lars Stalfors Lars Stalfors is an American record producer, mixer, and audio engineer based in Los Angeles, California. Stalfors began his career as a touring member and engineer for the progressive rock band the Mars Volta The Mars Volta is an Americ ...
and Damian Taylor.


Background and recording

Alfons stated that the recording of ''The Destroyer'' was largely delayed for "professional and personal" reasons; the singles "Bicep" and "Destroyer," latter of which was included on ''Part 2'', were previously released as independent singles in 2017. Remarking that the most challenging aspect of recording new material was "overcoming the voice that says this isn't good enough," Alfons explained: "I knew I had material I was excited about, but I had to overcome the sort of cycle of darkness and disconnection in order to get to a place where I was going to feel strong enough to put this (music) out." ''The Destroyer'' features contributions from musician Maya Postepski; Postepski previously left TR/ST after the release of their 2012 debut, '' Trst'', to focus on her solo work. Previous collaborator Damian Taylor and record producer
Lars Stalfors Lars Stalfors is an American record producer, mixer, and audio engineer based in Los Angeles, California. Stalfors began his career as a touring member and engineer for the progressive rock band the Mars Volta The Mars Volta is an Americ ...
also provided additional production work on the record. Both parts were recorded during a variety of sessions in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
and Alfons's rural
farmhouse FarmHouse (FH) is a men's social fraternity founded at the University of Missouri on April 15, 1905. It became a national organization in 1921. Today FarmHouse has 34 active chapters in the United States and Canada.FarmHouse Fraternity New Memb ...
in
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, with "the living plant world" of the latter acting as an inspiration. Alfons also did not initially conceptualize the record as a two-part album; he decided to divide the record into two parts after starting to assemble a track list and feeling that the tracks featured different "vibes and aesthetics."


Music

''The Destroyer (Part 2)'' is characterized as an album with "melancholic classic
synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...
ound/nowiki> and sluggish vocals." Susan Hansen of '' Clash'' noted that the record "focuses on industrial sonics as much as the use of
ambient Ambient or ambiance or ambience may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Ambiancé'', an unreleased experimental film * ''Ambient'' (novel), a novel by Jack Womack Music and sound * Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgr ...
layers of contemporary electronic sounds." Alfons has considered ''The Destroyer (Part 2)'' as the "darker" part and summed up the release with the keyword "
shame Shame is an unpleasant self-conscious emotion often associated with negative self-evaluation; motivation to quit; and feelings of pain, exposure, distrust, powerlessness, and worthlessness. Definition Shame is a discrete, basic emotion, d ...
." On the sound of the record, he also noted: "I just I think that a lot of "''The Destroyer – Part 2''" is not as intense and into hard beats and
dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance musi ...
as the previous universe where the band has existed."


Critical reception

''The Destroyer (Part 2)'' has generally received positive review from music critics.
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
critic Heather Phares thought that the record explores aftermath of the themes from the first part "with a subtler approach that's just as powerful in its softness." Phares further stated: "Along with providing more time and space for the album's emotional journey to resonate, it introduces exciting dimensions to Alfons' music that make the entire Destroyer project a satisfying and well-earned catharsis." Susan Hansen of ''Clash'' noted the "fluidity throughout the eight album tracks," describing the album as "space where elements of eighties music culture and electronic sounds of the same era forge a unique bond of immersion and depth." ''
Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...
''s Jenna Mohammed called the record as "a dreamy synth-heavy powerhouse of an album" and remarked that "Alfrons' honesty and rawness makes ''The Destroyer - 2'' endlessly playable."


Track listing

;Notes * signifies an additional producer. * signifies a co-producer.


Personnel

Album credits as adapted from liner notes. * Robert Alfons – producer, performer *
Lars Stalfors Lars Stalfors is an American record producer, mixer, and audio engineer based in Los Angeles, California. Stalfors began his career as a touring member and engineer for the progressive rock band the Mars Volta The Mars Volta is an Americ ...
– additional production, mixing (1, 4, 6, 8) * Damian Taylor – additional production, mixing (2, 3, 5, 7) * Maya Postepski – co-producer (8) * Lia Braswell – live drums (2, 3, 5, 7) *
Joe LaPorta Joseph J. LaPorta (born January 19, 1980) is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound in Edgewater, New Jersey. Career LaPorta was born in New York and grew up there; he graduated from New York University with a bachelor's degree in ...
mastering * Davy Evans – cover art * Ryan Thomas Ormsby – layout, design


References


External links

*
TR/ST - The Destroyer (Part 2)
on
Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Destroyer Part 2 2019 albums Trust (Canadian band) albums Self-released albums Albums produced by Lars Stalfors Albums produced by Damian Taylor