Faith ClarkeThere’s something refreshing and exciting about the The War On Drug’s latest album: ‘Lost In The Dream’; yet at the same time they offer a sound that is laden with nostalgia and familiarity – upon listening, it becomes immediately apparent that lead singer Adam Granduciel wears his influences on his sleeve.
‘Lost In The Dream’ conjures up images of wild summer nights and long, winding roads. It seems to possess the ability to make your heart yearn for adventure. The album is made up of ten tracks, none of which are less than three minutes long, and with opening track ‘Under The Pressure’ weighing in at nearly nine minutes – it almost seems the album has been purposely created to daydream to.
A concoction of triumphant, anthemic riffs, coma-inducing harmonica and psychedelic synthesisers, the album offers the slow and sombre tones of ‘Eyes To The Wind’, ‘Lost In The Dream’ and ‘An Ocean In Between The Waves’, where Granduciel’s raw and captivating voice is reminiscent to that of a young Dylan – and despite lyrics of loneliness and loss, these songs do anything but weigh you down, even the most personal and sensitive of situations are painted in bright colours by the band’s enriching ambiance. The upbeat and epic throb of the Springsteen-esque ‘Red Eyes’, ‘Under The Pressure’ and ‘Burning’ could well be the crowning glory: epitomising classic Americana rock, and allowing the band’s Philadelphian roots to gently seep through. It’s difficult to reduce The War On Drugs to a single genre – the album embodies all the themes of classic, wholehearted rock, but it is infused with something so fresh and original you can’t help but feel it’s worthy of a whole new genre.
The relentless search for a current album that can be listened to from start to finish, without the need to skip a track, is over: ‘Lost In The Dream’ places you in a musical coma of atmospheric instrumentals, dreamy guitar solos and keyboard magic. An album that is authentic and timeless, yet simultaneously contemporary and invigorating: ‘Lost In The Dream’ could well be the soundtrack of not only the summer, but the year.