The War On Drugs will release its first live album, titled LIVE DRUGS, the band announced on Tuesday. The announcement also came with the release of a live cut of “Pain” set to be featured on LIVE DRUGS. The record, set for release on November 20th via bandleader Adam Granduciel‘s Super High Quality Recordings label, marks the alt-rocker’s first since 2017’s A Deeper Understanding.
This announcement of LIVE DRUGS comes following a prolonged period of silence for the neo-psych outfit. Over the past six months, the band has been sequestered in the studio working on a new album, as well as offering a remix of the Rolling Stones‘ unearthed gem “Scarlet”.
Culled from over 40 hard drives of recorded concerts, LIVE DRUGS is assembled to resemble a conventional 70-minute concert. With tracks that span the group’s career—including “Buenos Aires Beach” from the 2008 full-length debut Wagonwheel Blues—to a choice cover of Warren Zevon‘s “Accidentally Like A Martyr”, LIVE DRUGS captures the living nature of The War on Drugs.
“As a band leader, I always want to know where a song can go,” Granduciel said in a press release. “Even though we’ve recorded it, mastered it, put it out, and been touring on it, it doesn’t mean that we just have to do it the same way forever.”
The live release also shows the evolution of select songs, like the loose rendition of “Strangest Thing” from A Deeper Understanding or “Eyes to the Wind” which become wholly independent of the studio rendition. Then there is the raw live energy found on “Under the Pressure”, where 20,000 fans are heard singing along to the guitar melody.
“It feels like it’s kind of a reset, to be able to put something out that’s a really good interpretation of the way we interpret our music live,” Granduciel said. “Even though this recording is from a year of tours, this is really how these six guys evolved as a band from 2014 to 2019.”
Listen to “Pain (Live)” from the upcoming release from The War On Drugs, LIVE DRUGS. Pre-order the album here and scroll down to see the full tracklist.
The War On Drugs – “Pain (Live)”
[Video: The War On Drugs]
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