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Aug 23, 2017 The War on Drugs By Christopher Roberts

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The War on Drugs are releasing a new album, A Deeper Understanding, this Friday via Atlantic, their first for the label (previously they were on Secretly Canadian). Now you can stream the whole thing early over at their website now, but only for the next 24 hours (or possibly 22 or 23 hours or less now, depending on when this went live). So if you can’t wait until Friday to hear the whole thing (and half the 10-song album has already been shared via its five singles), then stream it today.

Read our review of A Deeper Understanding.

Previously The War on Drugs shared the 11-minute long A Deeper Understanding cut (and Record Store Day single) “Thinking of a Place” and announced a fall tour. Then they shared another song from the album, “Holding On,” as well as performing the song on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and sharing a video for “Holding On” featuring actor Frankie Faison (The Wire, Luke Cage, The Silence of the Lambs). Then the band shared two other songs from the album, atmospheric slow-burner “Strangest Thing” and the expansive “Pain.” The band also shared a cover of Warren Zevon’s 1979 song “Accidentally Like a Martyr,” recorded for a Spotify session. Then they stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! to perform “Pain” and shared the album’s six-minute long glorious opening track, “Up All Night.” The band also shared a black & white video for “Pain,” which was shot in 16mm film and features the band performing the song on a cargo ship with the band’s name on the side as it travels down the Schuylkill River in the band’s hometown of Philadelphia.

Pick up our current print issue (Summer 2017) to read our new interview with The War on Drugs on A Deeper Understanding.

The War on Drugs’ main creative force Adam Granduciel worked on the album in studios in New York and Los Angeles, with help from engineer Shawn Everett (Alabama Shakes, Weezer). Other members of the band (bassist Dave Hartley, keyboardist Robbie Bennett, drummer Charlie Hall, and multi-instrumentalists Anthony LaMarca and Jon Natchez) were also involved in the recordings from time to time and thus a press release calls A Deeper Understanding “a ‘band record’ in the noblest sense, featuring collaboration, coordination, and confidence at every turn.”

The War on Drugs’ Lost in the Dream was our #1 album of 2014 and a lot of other people agreed with us too. There had been hints that the band’s major label debut might be on the way this year and earlier in the year the band shared a brief new video that featured a snippet of instrumental music and cut together black & white photos of the band in the recording studio, which was followed by “Thinking of a Place.”

Read our end-of-the-year interview with Granduciel from 2014. And also read our The War on Drugs vs. Sharon Van Etten article from 2014, in which Granduciel and Van Etten interviewed each other.

The War on Drugs Tour Dates:

Mon. Sep. 18 - Portland, ME @ State Theatre
Thu. Sep. 21 - Philadelphia, PA @ Dell Music Center
Fri. Sep. 22 - New York, NY @ SummerStage in Central Park
Sat. Sep. 23 - Boston, MA @ Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
Mon. Sep. 25 - Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte
Tue. Sep. 26 - Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle
Thu. Sep. 28 - Dallas, TX @ The Bomb Factory
Fri. Sep. 29 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall [Outside Lawn]
Sat. Sep. 30 - Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
Thu. Oct. 5 - Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre
Fri. Oct. 6 - Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre
Mon. Oct. 9 - Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre - SOLD OUT
Tue. Oct. 10 - Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre
Wed. Oct. 11 - Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
Fri. Oct. 13 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
Sat. Oct. 14 - Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre - SOLD OUT
Sun. Oct. 15 - Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
Wed. Oct. 18 - St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre
Thu. Oct. 19 - Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
Fri. Oct. 20 - Columbus, OH @ Express Live!
Sat. Oct. 21 - Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall - SOLD OUT
Sun. Oct. 22 - Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
Wed. Nov. 1 - Amsterdam, NL @ AFAS Live
Thu. Nov. 2 - Amsterdam, NL @ AFAS Live - SOLD OUT
Fri. Nov. 3 - Cologne, DE @ E-Werk
Sat. Nov. 4 - Brussels, BE @ Forest National - SOLD OUT
Mon. Nov. 6 - Paris, FR @ Bataclan
Thu. Nov. 9 - Glasgow, UK @ Barrowlands
Fri. Nov. 10 - Glasgow, UK @ Barrowlands - SOLD OUT
Sun. Nov. 12 - Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo Manchester - SOLD OUT
Mon. Nov. 13 - Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo Manchester
Tue. Nov. 14 - London, UK @ Alexandra Palace
Fri. Nov. 17 - Zurich, CH @ X-tra
Sat. Nov. 18 - Milan, IT @ Fabrique
Mon. Nov. 20 - München, DE @ Muffathalle
Tue. Nov. 21 - Hamburg, DE @ Große Freiheit 36
Wed. Nov. 22 - Berlin, DE @ Tempodrom
Fri. Nov. 24 - Oslo, NO @ Spektrum
Sat. Nov. 25 - Copenhagen, DK @ Tap 1
Mon. Nov. 27 - Stockholm, SE @ Annexet

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