Destroyer is the moniker of Daniel Bejar, a Vancouver native also notable for his collaborations with the indie pop group The New Pornographers. Though Destroyer is essentially Bejar himself, he has said that the line-up organized for Destroyer's Rubies would be the solidified group going forward into future recordings. Their eighth album, Trouble in Dreams, was released in March 2008.

Early Destroyer albums had a distinctly lo-fi sound, mirroring the sound of 1990s mainstays Pavement and Guided By Voices. Their 2004 album, Your Blues, expanded their repertoire to include a fuller, more orchestral sound. This trend continued on 2006's Destroyer's Rubies, which took advantage of Bejar's popularity with The New Pornographers.

The band's eighth album was released in March 2008 to favorable reviews. Entertainment Weekly calls Bejar "convincingly sensitive even at his most arch." Blender and Q magazines criticize the album for having muddied production and not expanding enough on the sound of previous albums.