Destroyer is the musical project of Dan Bejar from The New Pornographers. ken was produced by Josh Wells of Black Mountain, who has been the drummer in Destroyer since 2012. The album was recorded in its entirety in the jam space/studio space that the group calls The Balloon Factory.
However, unlike Poison Season, ken was not recorded as a "band" record, though everyone in the band does make an appearance. A limited deluxe edition of the LP pressed on opaque yellow vinyl includes a bonus 7-inch containing solo acoustic versions of the album tracks “A Light Travels Down the Catwalk” and “Stay Lost.”