Alana Yorke's “Destroyer”: A Symphony of Resilience
WRITTEN BY: KATIE GORDON // THE BOOM AT NOON 
Alana Yorke. Photo: Cherakee Andresen
On May 17, Alana Yorke released her sophomore album, "Destroyer," which she has been working on since 2016. “I started conceiving of this album and writing the new music for it when I first got back from touring Dream Magic,” Alana recalls. “It was coming out of PTSD exposure therapy that I found inspiration for the concept of the record, which I saw in my mind as going underwater and facing the self. Over the course of the songs, it’s about having a solitary experience, facing deep things, a transformation occurring, and then coming back up to the surface and rejoining the world.”
Reflecting further, Alana shares, “It went even deeper... to deeper layers of the way you feel about yourself and your origins and everything, like just who you are. I found that facing myself and making the record excruciating for these years,” she says, hinting at the rigorous nature of creating an album.
In November 2022, when the album was nearly complete, Alana faced another challenge when she suffered a hemorrhagic stroke - what she calls the “final ring of fire.” “It felt like I had to pass through these huge challenges to do this, and I still don’t think I understand why, but it just seemed like it had to happen,” noting that's where the album title “Destroyer” came from. “I had to have a stroke to move on, to free things up and move on with my life. It’s just been this epic journey. It’s absolutely nuts. That’s ‘Destroyer.’”
The album was created in collaboration with her husband and co-producer, Ian Bent. “We refused to compromise on the quality and wouldn't cut any corners. We did everything the absolute best way that we could,” she recalls. One of the notable ideas that came to beautiful fruition was recording the album with a 21-piece string orchestra. “It was one of the craziest things we’ve ever done in our lives,” she says. “Some people might do a trip of a lifetime or something, but for us to do this was the ultimate - it was so incredible.”
With "Destroyer" now released, Alana is excited to share her work with the world. “I’m really thrilled that it’s coming out to see the light of day and enrich people’s ears because for so long, it just seemed like it wouldn’t,” she says. “I hope that it can have a positive effect on people. Making something beautiful out of really difficult things was really the motivation, and I really wouldn't want anybody else to go through some of the things that I went through, which I did very alone. That's kind of how I roll, but ironically, I would not want somebody else to go through these struggles alone.”
Alana will celebrate the release of "Destroyer" with a live performance on June 1 at St. Paul's Anglican Church in Halifax, featuring special guests Moira & Claire and Les Voix d'Acadie. This concert marks a significant return to the stage for Alana, who now approaches performing with newfound enthusiasm and motivation to connect with her audience. “I used to have stage fright,” she notes. “Now, I have this massive motivation to share the new music and connect with people, this enthusiasm for life.”
There are still tickets available for the “Destroyer” album release show on June 1.
You can purchase the album on limited edition white vinyl (only 150 copies), CD or a digital MP3 download on Paper Bag Records website.
