Destroyer

Have We Met

Dan Bejar was flirting with disaster when he began writing the latest Destroyer record. Originally conceived as a Y2K throwback, Have We Met lost its high-concept hook as longtime collaborator John Collins fleshed out Bejar’s demos. Aside from a trip-hop pulse on “Kinda Dark,” the finished product bears little resemblance to music at the turn of the millennium. It does, however, retain the faint menace of a time when a coding error could end the world as we know it. Alluding to everything from the Boston Strangler to an unnamed group that threatens dismemberment, plenty of perils lurk behind Have We Met’s new wave veneer.

But Bejar’s 12th album is also tender, and even at times sentimental, a contradiction that’s more of a feature than a bug. His flair for aphorisms and louche one-liners goes a long way in harmonizing these discrete tones. On “foolssong,” for example, a line about kissing under a bridge is countered with one about chewing a wrist.

The music on Have We Met is

Selections from our weekly allCanadian Spotify playlist Alexisonfire

“Season of the Flood”

Like a gorgeous City and Colour song until the heavy climax.

Cindy Lee

“Heavy Metal” Former Women vocalist puts a spooky spin on ’50s pop.

dvsn

“A Muse”

R&B duo pair OVO’s moody style with hints of new age bliss.

Ellis

“Fall Apart”

Born Again’s single strips back the muck, retaining the dreampop swoon.

Jessie Reyez

“Love in the Dark” A pop standard in the making.

NOBRO

“Marianna”

A party anthem full of rawk riffs and bubblegum hooks.