September 15, 2021

The War on Drugs - "I Don't Live Here Anymore"


Earlier this summer, the War on Drugs announced their new record and shared the lead single. Today, they're back with another track from the album with assistance from Lucius.

Over the past decade, Adam Granduciel's War on Drugs have risen from Kurt Vile's relatively unknown backing band to one of the biggest players in straight-forward indie rock. So big in fact that their next tour brings them to the legendary Madison Square Garden. That's a large milestone for any band and filling up an arena with rafter-shaking jams is no easy task. "I Don't Live Here Anymore" rises to the occasion and is one of the grandest songs yet from the Philly-based group and it's easy to see this song soaring to the upper decks. Like other singles before it, this feels like another foundational track in the timeline of Heartland Rock. The synths hit hard and the additional vocals from Lucius helps to solidify the soul of the track. The drums tumble with '80s charm and everything here sparkles with the characteristically expected charm. This is an ambitious song, which is nothing new for Granduciel, but the remarkable fact is that once again he hits it out of the park. “Is life just dying in slow motion / Or getting stronger everyday?” he sings as the song starts to soar and he seems to already know the answer. The past two albums propelled the band to a new echelon of bands and it seems that once again they've crafted something truly special. "We're all just walking through this darkness on our own" concludes the track in a repetitive refrain. It's a feeling many of us may have felt over the past year and a half (or longer), but perhaps it's one we can soon get through together. That's the power of music and "I Don't Live Here Anymore" is full of it.

I Don't Live Here Anymore is out October 29 via Atlantic.

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