On the third studio album from M.A.G.S., called Destroyer, Elliott Douglas has destruction clearly on his mind. The majority of the record tackles the themes of self-destruction and personal growth, while also allowing room for some social commentary. Douglas shared his perspective on Destroyer by explaining, “I want my listeners to be immersed in the desolation and chaos of this world, I want them to come face to face with the ugly truth…the dark underbelly of their subconscious…all the internalized trauma and destruction. And I want them to be smiling as they face it, because they can see they are not being swallowed by their darkness but that they are, in fact, holding it in the palm of their hand.” From the artwork depicting an “end of days” scenario of tornadoes touching down on a field of flowers, everything clicks directly into place on this fully-realized record that is filled with experimentation and creativity. While his last album, Say Things That Matter, was a breezy, pop-oriented LP that found Douglas growing more comfortable in his singing voice, Destroyer embraces the chaos in the most thrilling way possible.
The album opens with an abrasive, wailing guitar riff on the title track that gets the audience’s undivided attention. By the time the vocals kick in, it’s clear that M.A.G.S. has continued his self-growth journey as a captivating front-man. While the verses are a soothing exploration in a style similar to his previous album, the choruses and bridge provide a stark contrast to the beauty with a raw, dirty, and post-hardcore-esque approach to his songwriting craft. “Sins” follows the raucous opener with a steady drumbeat and some impressive guitar riffing from Douglas. The build-up to the chorus of, “I hear you calling my name,” is well thought out, and highlights an artist taking the right type of risks to further his artistic development.
The Weezer-inspired single “Elephant” is pure, guitar-pop bliss and warranted the designation of being the lead single from the set. As he wails, “Are you even listening?” it’s clear that he wants the audience’s full attention as he adds in some aggressive-sounding bass lines and guitar wails to keep things moving in the right direction. The song was a standout in the set that I witnessed live where he opened for Sleeping With Sirens, and the crowd was hanging on his every lyric. By the time he softly sings the opening lines again of “I accept apologies ahead of time,” it’s abundantly clear that this artist is blossoming at just the right moment in time.
The atmospheric track of “Swimming” expands upon the sounds he tinkered with on Say Things That Matter, but he adds in some hip-hop elements in the closing moments of the song to continue his ascending trajectory. “Wednesday” continues down the rabbit hole of self-growth as Douglas ponders his state of mind, while still showcasing his improvements as a vocalist. “Her” follows logically in the sequencing by having a similar style to the aforementioned songs, but he adds in some interesting guitar riffing in between the verses to prevent the tracks from sounding the same.
Arguably the most interesting song on Destroyer comes on the funk-inspired “Floyd” that has soothing, picturesque verses, complemented with a cool guitar riff in the chorus to make for an ultra-memorable part of the record. M.A.G.S. is on top of his game on this track, and he rocks along with veteran ease as the song weaves effortlessly between the verses and choruses. “Red Sky” rocks like a post-hardcore song with its near-spoken word verses paired with a chorus that allows Douglas to croon above the backing instrumental mix. It continues to keep the spotlight directly on his vocals, yet deeper dives into the album reward the listener on repeat spins by noticing intricate details in the guitar parts.
”Supermoon” closes out the set as a sprawling, five and a half minute opus that takes all of the elements that M.A.G.S. introduced on Destroyer, puts it in a blender, and sees what concoction comes out. The opening bars are softly sung before bleeding away into a more straight-forward beat that allows for Douglas to sing triumphantly, “We’ve got one more chance to fuck and get high.” The pop chorus transition in the middle section of the song is something that young artists should pay attention to, since it provides a complex blueprint for where guitar-based music can go in the future.
Destroyer highlights Elliott Douglas’ continued growth as a songwriter while he tackles complex themes, all while staying true to his best qualities as an artist. This is an album that is vastly different from its predecessor, yet I feel it moves the needle so much further down the path of creativity that it demands to be experienced in full, from start to finish. A true “artist’s record” in the fullest way, and remains one of my favorite albums to come out this year.