In October of last year, Dan Bejar announced that the thirteenth Destroyer album, Have We Met, would be released on January 31. Since then, he has shared “Crimson Tide” and “It Just Doesn’t Happen,” and now he has returned with a video for “Cue Synthesizer.” Bejar calls the song “maybe the most audacious piece of music Destroyer’s laid to tape.” It’s definitely a fascinating listen, a funky track with a strong groove and guitar solos throughout.
Bejar previously said Have We Met “came together in such a crazy way — all equal parts ecstasy and terror.” The album was recorded at Bejar’s kitchen table, and there was no re-recording. Instead of the usual band-oriented approach to making an album, Bejar tasked collaborator John Collins with layering synth and rhythm parts over Bejar’s kitchen recordings. Bejar also said, “The record could have gone on and on, and the mixes kept evolving up until about a day before we sent them off to be mastered, which was also 48 hours before John and his wife went to the birthing center, where their first child was born; our true deadline!”
Watch the “Cue Synthesizer” video above, and in case you missed it, check out the Have We Met art and tracklist below, as well as Destroyer’s upcoming tour dates.
1. “Crimson Tide”
2. “Kinda Dark”
3. “It Just Doesn’t Happen”
4. “The Television Music Supervisor”
5. “The Raven”
6. “Cue Synthesizer”
7. “University Hill”
8. “Have We Met”
9. “The Man In Black’s Blues”
10. “Foolssong”
2/21 — Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater*
2/22 — San Francisco, CA @ August Hall*
2/23 — Los Angeles, CA @ Regent Theater*
2/24 — Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress*
2/26 — Austin, TX @ The Mohawk*
2/27 — Dallas, TX @ Club Dada*
2/28 — Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater*
2/29 — St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club*
3/01 — Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall*
3/02 — Detroit, MI @ Deluxx Fluxx*
3/04 — Toronto, ON @ Opera House**
3/05 — Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount**
3/06 — Boston, MA @ The Sinclair**
3/07 — New York, NY @ Brooklyn Steel**
3/08 — Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts**
3/09 — Washington, DC @ Black Cat**
3/11 — Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle**
3/12 — Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West**
3/13 — Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge**
3/14 — St. Louis, MO @ Blueberry Hill**
3/15 — Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room**
3/16 — Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater**
3/17 — Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge**
3/19 — Seattle, WA @ Neumos**
3/20 — Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre**
4/17 — Rotterdam, NL @ Motel Mozaïque Festival
4/18 — Genk, BE @ Little Waves Festival
4/19 — Zurich, CH @ Plaza
4/20 — Milano, IT @ Ohibo
4/21 — Nürnberg, DE @ Z-bau
4/22 — Prague, CZ @ The Archa Theatre
4/24 — Berlin, DE @ Bi Nuu
4/25 — Leipzig, DE @ Ut Connewitz
4/26 — Copenhagen, DK @ Pumpehuset
4/27 — Stockholm, SE @ Slaktkyrkan
4/28 — Oslo, NO @ Blå
4/29 — Lund, SE @ Meijerit
4/30 — Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
5/02 — Schorndorf, DE @ Manufaktur
5/03 — Antwerp, BE @ Trix
5/04 — Paris, FR @ Cafe De La Danse
5/05 — London, UK @ Village Underground
5/06 — Glasgow, UK @ Drygate
5/07 — Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
* with Eleanor Friedberger
** with Nap Eyes
Have We Met is out 01/31 via Merge Records. Pre-order it here.
