Labyrinthitis (album)

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 Destroyer
Released	March 25, 2022
Recorded	Winter/Spring 2021[1]
Length	43:48
Label	Merge Bella Union
Producer	John Collins
Destroyer chronology
Have We Met (2020) Labyrinthitis (2022) Dan's Boogie (2025)
Singles from Labyrinthitis
"Tintoretto, It's for You" Released: January 11, 2022 "Eat the Wine, Drink the Bread" Released: February 14, 2022 "June" Released: March 9, 2022

Background and recording

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

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

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	82/100[5]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
Beats Per Minute	85%[7]
Financial Times	[8]
Mojo	[9]
musicOMH	[10]
The Observer	[11]
Pitchfork	8.5/10[12]
PopMatters	9/10[13]
Rolling Stone	[14]
Uncut	7/10[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

Labyrinthitis on year-end lists

Publication	List	Rank	Ref.
Pitchfork	The 50 Best Albums of 2022	30	[17]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
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

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

• Joe LaPorta – mastering
• Sydney Hermant – cover painting
• Daniel Murphy – design

Charts

Chart performance for Labyrinthitis

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