The War On Drugs

Formed in Philadelphia in 2005 around Adam Granduciel and Kurt Vile, The War on Drugs initially evolved at the intersection of indie rock, Americana, heartland rock and neo-psychedelia, with a marked taste for long melodic progressions, reverberant guitars and atmospheric keyboards. After the EP Barrel of Batteries and the debut album Wagonwheel Blues in 2008, Kurt Vile quickly left to pursue a solo career, while The War on Drugs gradually became a more stable collective led by Granduciel, featuring David Hartley, Robbie Bennett and later Charlie Hall, Jon Natchez, Anthony LaMarca and Eliza Hardy Jones. The band honed its songwriting on Slave Ambient (2011) and broadened its audience with Lost in the Dream (2014), an album that established a more expansive formula between American road rock, psychedelic textures and introspective songwriting. This was followed by A Deeper Understanding (2017) and I Don’t Live Here Anymore (2021), with a steady presence on international stages and major festivals; the group has also released the live albums Live Drugs (2020) and Live Drugs Again (2024).