On October 20, Destroyer returns with ken. Watch and share the lyric video for "Sky's Grey," the first track from the album, now.

Of his 12th studio album and its enigmatic title, Destroyer’s Dan Bejar offers the following:

Sometime last year, I discovered that the original name for “The Wild Ones” (one of the great English-language ballads of the last 100 years or so) was “Ken.” I had an epiphany, I was physically struck by this information. In an attempt to hold on to this feeling, I decided to lift the original title of that song and use it for my own purposes. It’s unclear to me what that purpose is, or what the connection is. I was not thinking about Suede when making this record. I was thinking about the last few years of the Thatcher era. Those were the years when music first really came at me like a sickness, I had it bad. Maybe “The Wild Ones” speaks to that feeling, probably why Suede made no sense in America. I think “ken” also means “to know.”

ken is available for pre-order now in the Merge store on CD, LP and limited-edition deluxe LP. The limited-edition deluxe LP is pressed on opaque yellow vinyl and includes a bonus 7-inch single on black vinyl that contains solo acoustic versions of the album tracks “A Light Travels Down the Catwalk” and “Stay Lost.” Pre-order the deluxe LP bundled with the CD, and a brand new ken t-shirt to save $7! All orders include a free Destroyer button while supplies last. The album can also be pre-ordered from these digital outlets.

ken was produced by Josh Wells of Black Mountain, who has been the drummer in Destroyer since 2012. The album was recorded in its entirety in the jam space/studio space that the group calls The Balloon Factory. However, unlike Poison Season, ken was not recorded as a “band” record, though everyone in the band does make an appearance.

Destroyer on tour:
Nov 12 Hamburg, DE — Kampnagel
Nov 13 Aarhus, DK — Voxhall
Nov 14 Oslo, NO — John Dee
Nov 15 Stockholm, SE — Fasching
Nov 16 Copenhagen, DN — Vega
Nov 17 Berlin, DE — Festsaal Kreuzberg
Nov 19 Dusseldorf, DE — New Fall Festival
Nov 21 Zurich, CH — Rote Fabrik
Nov 22 Montpellier, FR — Le Rockstore
Nov 23 San Sebastian, ES — Teatro Victoria Eugenia
Nov 25 Madrid, ES — Teatro Barcelo
Nov 26 Valencia, ES — La Rambleta
Nov 27 Barcelona, ES — Sala Bikini
Nov 29 Lille, FR — L’Aeronef
Nov 30 Brighton, UK — Patterns
Dec 01 Leeds, UK — Brudenell Social Club
Dec 03 Dublin, IE — Button Factory
Dec 05 Glasgow, UK — CCA (270)
Dec 06 Newcastle, UK — The Cluny
Dec 07 London, UK — Scala
Dec 08 Paris, FR — Petit Bain
Dec 09 Amsterdam, NE — Paradiso Noord
Dec 10 Brussels, BE — Botanique Brussels