The Great Destroyer

The seventh album was Low's first for Sub Pop. Dave Fridmann co-produced it with the band at Tarbox Road Studios in Cassadaga, New York, and plays keyboards on California, Everybody's Song, Step and Broadway (So Many People). All the songs are credited to Sparhawk, Parker and Sally. Gerry Beckley sings backing vocals on Everybody's Song and Hollis Mae Sparhawk sings on Step.

California, about Sparhawk's mother, was the first single, backed with a demo of Cue the Strings, and a remix EP of Monkey called Tonight the Monkeys Die followed. Sparhawk described Cue the Strings as a shout-out to Roy Orbison, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and David Bowie. Both the title and Silver Rider come from the story in the album art. Metacritic scores it 82. Pitchfork's David Raposa gave it 5.5 and found the band led astray by the louder songs, though he called California probably the best pop song the group had recorded. Robert Plant's Band of Joy later covered Monkey and Silver Rider.