The War On Drugs, announce Live Drugs Again, out next Friday, 13th September, via Super High Quality Records, and present a visualizer for the exhilarating live version of Lost in the Dream standout, “Burning.” Watch below.
The initial 2xLP vinyl pressing comes in a tip-on style gatefold jacket with a 4-panel pullout poster. 666 copies were pressed onto transparent blue vinyl. A standard vinyl and CD version will be available later this year. In support of Live Drugs Again, the band will kick off their Zen Diagram North American co-headline tour with The National, with support from Lucius, on 12th September.
Recorded on tour between February 2022 through December 2023 in America, the UK, Europe and Australia, Live Drugs Again follows 2020’s Live Drugs and represents The War On Drugs at their raw and righteous best. Bandleader Adam Granduciel comments, “Live Drugs Again chronicles the evolution of these songs from the studio to stages all over the world; documenting our continued growth as a live band. This series ensures that these versions, and some of our favourite moments on stage, will live on.”
Since its inception nearly 20 years as Granduciel’s solo project, The War On Drugs have transformed in many directions. And yet, they have never sounded quite this euphoric. While their studio albums are often showcases for Granduciel’s meticulous worldbuilding, their live albums put the spotlight on the musicians who bring the songs to life on stage. “Part of Live Drugs was about cementing that moment in time—what the six of us had built since putting a live band together,” he explains. On Live Drugs Again, Granduciel is backed by those same bandmates—David Hartley (bass), Robbie Bennett (keys), Charlie Hall (drums), Jon Natchez (sax), and Anthony LaMarca (guitar)—as well as the group’s newest recruit, Eliza Hardy Jones, on keyboards and backing vocals.
Live Drugs Again expertly captures the kinetic spontaneity of the band’s live show, while Granduciel crafts the album as its own sturdy addition to the catalogue: an experience best taken in full, expertly paced and textured. Working with engineer Austin Asvanonda, he ensures that each song brings something new to the story, from rarities like “Slow Ghost,” a tender B-side from I Don’t Live Here Anymore, to confident, extended versions of Live Drugs staples “Under the Pressure” and “Pain.”
“A lot of lives changed in four years,” Granduciel says of the group’s evolution since Live Drugs. “We’ve been doing this for a long time—we’re older, we have families. So when we get on the road, the only two hours that matter are when we’re on stage, playing these songs for people. I try to live in that moment pretty intensely.” Live Drugs Again is a testament to this devotion: a portrait of a band on a runner’s high, in collaboration with an audience who’s been following every step of the way.
Live Drugs Again artwork and tracklist:
1. Harmonia’s Dream
2. Burning
3. Old Skin
4. Come To The City
5. I Don’t Wanna Wait
6. Pain
7. Slow Ghost
8. In Chains
9. Living Proof
10. Under The Pressure
11. I Don’t Live Here Anymore
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