The War on Drugs
Hear New War On Drugs Songs From Deluxe Edition of Latest Album
Today has brought the digital release of the previously announced deluxe edition of The War On Drugs‘ 2021 album I Don’t Live Here Anymore, and with it, two new songs, “Oceans of Darkness” and “Slow Ghost.” A limited edition boxed set version of the album is out Friday (Sept. 30), and features those two tracks on a 7-inch single. [embedded content][embedded content] The band debuted an early version of “Oceans of Darkness” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in the fall of 2020, and has been performing it throughout its current tour. “One night in L.A., while we were many months into working on what would be I Don’t Live Here Anymore, Dave [Hartley] uncovered a stripped-down demo in my dropbox called ‘Oceans of Darkness,’ and insisted we try recording it,” bandleader Adam Granduciel ...
The War On Drugs Box Up Latest Album With Bonus Tracks
The War On Drugs are giving their most recent album, 2021’s I Don’t Live Here Anymore, the deluxe boxed set treatment. The new edition will arrive on Sept. 30 from the group’s official online store as well as select independent retailers. The set features I Don’t Live Here Anymore on double-vinyl, a 7-inch vinyl single with the previously unreleased songs “Oceans of Darkness” and “Slow Ghost,” the album on cassette (with “Slow Ghost” as a bonus track), an embroidered patch and six perforated postcards with photos taking during the making of the project. The boxed set is limited to 5,000 copies. I Don’t Live Here Anymore was the band’s second album for Canvasback/Atlantic after jumping from longtime home Secretly Canadian. It reached No. 22 on The Billboard 200, No. 2 on Top Alternative Alb...
‘The Big Climate Thing’ Benefit Concert Postponed to 2023
The environmental benefit The Big Climate Thing, “a concert for people and the planet” scheduled for Sept. 16-18 at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in New York, has been postponed until 2023. “The artists, climate movement leaders, and partners of this event take the responsibility of representing those fighting for survival on the front lines of ecological disaster and environmental justice incredibly seriously,” organizers Climate Control Project said in a statement. “Collectively, we felt that if we couldn’t produce the event in a way that met the high standards for participation and impact that are the foundation of The Big Climate Thing, then it was the responsible choice to postpone until we can. We are so grateful to have had this chance to form a vital community with you and look forwa...
Exit Interview: The War on Drugs’ Frontman Adam Granduciel on Their Latest Album, Playing Live Again and That Time He Met Danzig
It’s certainly safe to say that 2021 was an unusual year for pretty much everyone. The rhythms of our new “normal” amid the pandemic began to feel more familiar, while the world itself remained in a state of incredible turmoil. For The War on Drugs frontman Adam Granduciel, 2021 felt especially unusual. After years and years of writing, recording, and refining, his group finally unveiled their long-anticipated fifth album I Don’t Live Here Anymore into a reality that little resembled the one that existed when they started the project. The record itself is vintage War On Drugs. Massive guitar hooks meld into tidal waves of electronic synth sounds, all the while Granduciel’s voice floats in and out to wax poetic about the myriad changes life brings, and how you end up wherever it is you end ...
The 30 Best Albums of 2021
Back in June, SPIN published The 30 Best Albums of 2021 (So Far), rounding up everything from mainstream rock to experimental hip-hop. Six months later, we’re back with our year-end recap — and it’s interesting how, even though the stylistic balance has stayed consistent, the picks themselves haven’t. While this list also covers a lot of ground, only six of those earlier records wound up in our final tally. Below, you’ll find massive R&B collaborations (Silk Sonic), trendy pop breakouts (Olivia Rodrigo), big-ticket indie-rock (The War on Drugs), prog-metal giants (Mastodon), and acclaimed indie-rap (Benny the Butcher & Harry Fraud). Looking back at Pandemic Year Number Two, when the music industry forecast seemed to shift on a daily basis, perhaps these changes are only fittin...
The War on Drugs’ I Don’t Live Here Anymore Captures Their Thrilling Camaraderie
The War on Drugs’ latest album opens with somewhat of a feint. Littered with sparse piano and soft guitar, “Living Proof” is among the quietest songs in the Philadelphia band’s expansive catalog. 2014’s Lost in the Dream opened with the resplendent “Under the Pressure,” and 2017’s A Deeper Understanding had the immediacy of “Up All Night.” The heartland rockers’ fifth record, however, introduces itself gently, opting for restraint rather than full-blown grandeur. Toward its end, “Living Proof” recedes into itself, like a gravitational pull into the distant horizon. Then, the locomotive pace of “Harmonia’s Dream” kicks in. This is all an exercise in tension and release, and the rest of that record is the release that “Living Proof” leaves you yearning for. Produced by frontman Adam Granduci...
The War on Drugs Would Rather Rise Above With ‘Change’
The War On Drugs dropped “Change” off their upcoming record I Don’t Live Here Anymore, which is out this Friday, October 29. Mirroring the gritty, raspy vocal pull of Bruce Springsteen, lead singer Adam Granduciel pleads for a grasp of understanding: “I been living on the run, ’cause I can’t find / The thing that holds and binds us time / I’m out here dying in the heat / Oh, what am I to find?” Contrary to Blind Melon’s desperate call for a new direction in their own “Change,” The War On Drugs would rather rise above to avoid a steer in the course of love, chastening their own existence at the close of the track: “Maybe I was born too late for this lonely freedom fight / Maybe I was born in the wrong way / Maybe born on the wrong day.” [embedded content][embed...
36 Musicians Predict the 2021-22 NBA Season
If it feels like the previous NBA season just ended, well, it sort of did. The Milwaukee Bucks triumphed over the Phoenix Suns, capturing the franchise’s second title in mid-July, and here we are in mid-October with the league ready to tipoff again. Once again, we polled music’s biggest NBA fans to give their takes on how the upcoming season is going to unfold. Unlike last season (more like 2019), we asked for some general thoughts, musing and predictions. As you’ll see in a moment, there are a lot of Lakers and Sixers fans (and they seem pretty optimistic about their team’s chances this season). Here’s what our musician panel had to say about the 2021-22 NBA season. Mark LaneganLos Angeles Clippers They finally made it to the Western Conference finals, which I never thought would hap...
The War on Drugs Perform on a Rooftop in ‘I Don’t Live Here Anymore’ Video
The War on Drugs released a video for the title track off their first record in four years I Don’t Live Here Anymore. In great dad-rock fashion, the band kicks it back on a tour bus traveling through a desert. The War on Drugs pays homage to the rock ‘n’ roll era, feeding llamas like the Pet Sounds cover and performing on a rooftop like the Beatles. Especially in these trying times, the group reminiscences on the good old days and the good old music that came with it. [embedded content] In it, Adam Granduciel sings “I was lying in my bed, a creature void of form / Been so afraid of everything, I need a chance to be reborn.” The video was directed by Emmett Malloy and filmed throughout Los Angeles. This is the first studio album from the band since winning 2018’s Best Rock Album Grammys wit...
The War on Drugs Announce New Album, I Don’t Live Here Anymore and Share 2022 Tour Dates
American rockers, The War on Drugs, are back with their first studio album in four years. I Don’t Live Here Anymore is due out on Oct. 29 through Atlantic Records. Today, the band shared the first of 10 songs in “Living Proof,” alongside news of a 2022 North American/European tour. In a release, I Don’t Live Here Anymore is billed to be an uncommon rock album about resilience in the face of despair. “Living Proof” sets the tone for the album as The War on Drugs transform pain through a very soft rock tune. They don’t try to lure listeners with a danceable hook or flashy video, just Adam Granduciel with his guitar, walking Stinson Beach in California and singing about his struggles and ability to overcome. Plain, simple, and effective. Watch the “Living Proof” music video below. [embedded c...
The War on Drugs Perform ‘Arms Like Boulders’ on Colbert Using Only Guitars and Mandolin
The War on Drugs remotely joined The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Friday night in honor of their recently-released live album, LIVE DRUGS. The band made an interesting song selection, going with “Arms Like Boulders” (the opening track off its 2008 debut album Wagonwheel Blues), which isn’t featured on the new album; however, the performance encapsulates the ethos of the 10-song collection and sees the six-piece configuring the track in a way we haven’t heard before: using nothing more than five guitars and one mandolin to help guide Adam Granduciel’s gritty voice. “As a bandleader, I always want to know where a song can go,” Granduciel said in a statement about LIVE DRUGS ahead of its release. “Even though we’ve recorded it, mastered it, put it out, and b...
27 Musicians Predict the 2020-21 NBA Season
If it feels like the most-recent NBA season just ended, well, it did. The strangeness of 2020 engulfed the association, but it led to one of the more innovative ideas of the COVID-era: the bubble. (Mostly) quarantined, teams competed with nary a hitch at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando. The season ended in the fall instead of its customary June, but nevertheless, the NBA is back on Dec. 22. As usual, we enlisted our expert musician panel to preview what’s shaping up to be yet another unpredictable NBA season. Mark Lanegan Los Angeles Clippers CREDIT: Travis Keller What’s your prognosis for the season? Will they ever get over the hump?At this point, I’m slightly jaded as far as the Clips are concerned. I always go into the season optimistic and the same when they hit...
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