Destroyer continues the lead-up to LABYRINTHITIS, out March 25, with a new single, “Eat the Wine, Drink the Bread.” Restless and slightly irreverent, “Eat the Wine, Drink the Bread” gallops along, fueled by Joshua Wells’ percussion and John Collins’ drum programming. “Been meaning to wear my hair like this for ages… I mean down, down, all the way down,” Dan Bejar coos, his anticipation bolstered by the driving bass and guitar beneath him. Yet even with this newfound release, he remains disillusioned with where he heads, his melancholy matched by a somber piano.

More than an arcane puzzle for the listener, LABYRINTHITIS warps and winds through unfamiliar territory for Bejar as well. Written largely in 2020 and recorded the following spring, the album most often finds Bejar and frequent collaborator John Collins seeking the mythic artifacts buried somewhere under the dance floor, from the glitzy spiral of “It Takes a Thief” to the Books-ian collage bliss of the title track. Initial song ideas ventured forth from disco, Art of Noise, and New Order, Bejar and Collins championing the over-the-top madcappery.

Bejar and Collins conducted their questing in the height of isolation, Collins on the remote Galiano Island and Bejar in nearby Vancouver, sending ideas back and forth when restrictions didn’t allow them to meet. Ahead of mixing, the Destroyer band was brought into the fold to further the unprepared synchronicity and mutual discovery.

Lyrically, LABYRINTHITIS embraces a widescreen maximalism, blocks of text dotted with subversions and hedges. Building from the koans of Have We Met, Bejar continues to carve his words precisely, toying with expectations and staid symbols, while Collins’ production reconstructs the pieces into a unified whole. 

The new track follows lead single and video “Tintoretto, It’s for You.” Pre-order LABYRINTHITIS today on CD, LP, and jade & ivory Peak Vinyl in the Merge store and participating independent record shops. In support of the record, the Destroyer band heads out on tour this spring.

Destroyer on tour:
Apr 22 Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre
Apr 23 Seattle, WA – The Neptune Theatre
Apr 24 Boise, ID – The Olympic
Apr 26 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
Apr 27 Denver, CO – The Bluebird Theater
Apr 28 Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room
Apr 29 St. Louis, MO – Blueberry Hill Duck Room
Apr 30 Nashville, TN – Mercy Lounge
May 02 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
May 04 Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle
May 05 Washington, DC – Black Cat
May 06 Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts
May 07 Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel
May 08 Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
May 09 Montreal, QC – Theatre Fairmount
May 10 Toronto, ON – Phoenix Concert Theatre
May 11 Detroit, MI – El Club
May 12 Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
May 13 St. Paul, MN – Amsterdam Bar & Hall
May 14 Lawrence, KS – The Bottleneck
May 15 Oklahoma City, OK – Beer City Music Hall
May 16 Fort Worth, TX – Tulips
May 17 Austin, TX – The Mohawk
May 19 Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom
May 20 Los Angeles, CA – The Belasco
May 21 Berkeley, CA – The UC Theatre
May 22 Portland, OR – Revolution Hall