A Deeper Understanding is the fourth full-length album from Adam Granduciel’s The War On Drugs and the band’s first since 2014’s Lost In The Dream. For much of the three-and-a-half-year period since that release Granduciel has been revisiting and re-examining endless hours of recordings with exuberance. This has pushed the group to new heights on what is their first LP since signing to Atlantic Records.

The familiar sounds of ’60s psychedelia are here but, like all WoD compositions, the tracks steadily pulse until they patiently release a climax of instrumental euphoria at sporadic intermissions. “I don’t like drums dictating the song; like when you hear a fill and then you know the chorus is coming up,” the frontman recently said. He has maintained this for his new release with the unshakable rhythm there throughout to maintain a steady landscape over the layered guitar masterclass, wistful reverb, vintage keyboards, and his Bob Dylan-sounding voice. Once established, the motoric beats are rarely interrupted in order to allow the rest of the arrangements to develop.

Granduciel regularly explains how he is obsessive over every intricate sonic level in the mix. This is evident as you delve into A Deeper Understanding, with new parts and subtle nuances coming to your attention with every listen. ‘Up All Night’ kicks things off with its reverberating synths and customary extended guitar solo that feeds off a few solid notes throughout the entire track.

Recent single ‘Pain’ bleeds sentimentally with its cinematic edge and is one of the band’s finest endings in what is an intoxicating recording. The line “Pull me closer, let me hold you in/Give me the deeper understanding of who I am,” is reflective of the entire album’s vibe, which then brings the listener into ‘Holding On’, in which he is in slightly more jovial mood. The second track bares influences of Springsteen with a bouncing keyboard line and slide guitar. It’s the poppiest hook on the LP and fits seamlessly into the overall framework of the album.

Another guitar line then takes precedence in ‘Strangest Thing’, before a lo-fi, relaxed ambience takes over for ‘Knocked Down’. The driving stomper of ‘Nothing To Find’ brings proceedings up a notch, with the relentless, almost power-pop number, set to be a crowd favourite. With five single releases already from this album, it’s a surprise this one didn’t make the cut.

Record Store Day release ‘Thinking of A Place’ then transports the listener on an 11-minute trance-like pilgrimage as Granduciel’s guitar builds up around a winding solo. ‘In Chains’ finally follows and is the closest the group come to sounding like the previous record, with the track centred around a tender piano line.

The cinematic ‘You Don't Have To Go’ then closes an album that signifies a step forward for The War on Drugs. A Deeper Understanding is their most impressive, expressive work yet and gets more rewarding with every listen.

Paul Hill

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