Dan Bejar started Destroyer as a solo home-recording project in the early to mid-nineties. In 1996, he released his debut full length of stripped-down, lo-fi electric folk, Well Build Them a Golden Bridge. Soon the Destroyer template expanded to include a rhythm section, and Bejar was compelled to head into a proper studio to record City of Daughters in 1998. It was with Daughters that Bejar began to develop his own unique lyrical voice, a voice that continued to evolve and refine itself over the course of his next two records, Thief and Streethawk: A Seduction. Destroyer seemingly had produced its masterwork with Streethawk, a highly refined send-up and condemnation of popular culture, an idea honed to razor-sharp precision. The album became one of the most acclaimed recordings of 2001, and the Destroyer mystique captured music fans and critics alike.
Over the course of his career as Destroyer, Dan Bejar has established himself and his band as one of the most unpredictable success stories in modern popular music. As a songwriter, Bejar is recognised as having few peers. As a musician, he is like the court jester, waiting in the wings, poking fun at those who take themselves too seriously and skewering those who would celebrate commerce as art.
