New York – Bridging the gap between folk and rock in a way that recalls the great masters of Americana, The War On Drugs need no real introduction. As it has been since the beginning with this band, their work is lyrical poetry of the most transformative sort and a speaker box for the times. Their latest release, “Red Eyes,” is the first track from their forthcoming album Lost in the Dream via Secretly Canadian. A genuinely stirring song, it does not diverge from the rambling, vastly spirited atmosphere of The War On Drugs’ past work.
Backed by the deeply talented guitarist and songwriter Kirt Vile from the start, this groups’ reputation make them a difficult and humbling band to speak on. News of their latest single has fans aflutter, however. “Red Eyes,” as the album in full promises to be, is worth every second of its dissection.
At nearly five full minutes, “Red Eyes” is a sonic landscape. It is familiar territory when it comes to this TWOD’s signature sound, and a welcome return to what we love most about their music. Recalling the energy of early tracks such as “Arms Like Boulders,” this song tumbles along like roundhouse weeds of the West. Structurally sound, rogue and wild, it is a standalone and stallion of a ballad.
As echoed vocals meld seamlessly into piano and percussion, with added synth and glossy guitar riffs, there is a melancholy kind of comfort to this track. Granduciel’s vocals are responsible for this dichotomy, simply for his tone of delivery. It is not sadness that shines through, however, but a sense of autonomy and conviction. This track exudes independence of thought and province. Like Dylan, the resulting sound is large enough to invade, intoxicate and inspire a generation.
This group’s history is a saga in itself. After Adam Granduciel moved from Oakland to Philadelphia in 2003, he met Kirt Vile and the two found common ground in a shared artistic vision and their love for the ancient bosses of folk. Although they were both the paramount and founding members of TWOD, Vile bowed out gracefully in 2009 to focus on his solo career. Despite the rumors, no trace of animosity surrounded the departure. On the contrary, Granduciel played and toured extensively with Vile’s group, The Violators, in-between TWOD’s releases.
Officially established in 2005, the group earned themselves a serious following as they continued to churn out their particular brand of explorative folk rock. The lineup has been a bit of a revolving door since the start, but the band today is vocalist and guitarist Adam Granduciel, bassist and guitarist David Hartley, keyboardist and guitarist Robbie Bennett and percussionist Patrick Berkery. Their first full-length release, Wagonwheel Blues, surfaced in 2008 on Secretly Canadian and Slave Ambient followed in 2011.
Now two years later, their sound is still sprawling like the continental United States in its entirety, and captures the spirit of Americana quite unlike any of their contemporaries. Lost in the Dream will be available for public consumption on March 18, and the group will be touring until forever, it seems, to promote the release. With shows scheduled down under through the New Year and into early January, they will kickoff a nationwide tour in Philadelphia on the day their album drops. Check HERE for tour dates near you, and until then, let “Red Eyes” help ring in the New Year with all the hopeful listlessness a heart can handle.
Liz Rowley
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