I remember vividly the 30th of June 2022. It was that time of the year again: Rock Werchter! Unlike the weather, the line-up was blistering: Black Pumas, Beck, Fontaines D.C., HAIM, Pixies, Pearl Jam and The War on Drugs. All on that same day đ€© I knew more or less what to expect from this lineup, except for The War on Drugs...
I heard that The Drugs had a solid live reputation, so I was eager to check them out. Their set started off great with Nothing to Find, one of their most bright and positive songs. What followed however, was - as expected - a trip down into the dark regions of Adam Granduciel's troubled soul, the mastermind behind The War on Drugs. In an interview for Elsewhere from 2023, he mentioned the subjects of his work: âI do write about my experiences and I never feel I could sing from someone else's perspective, it feels awkward to me. I try to tell a story, but I'm figuring out my life.â That life appears to be wreathed with angst and other struggles. As described at length in an interview for Loud And Quiet from 2014, he struggles with depression, fear, anxiety, loss and self-doubt. These feelings are indeed deeply interlaced within most of his songs, especially in their 3rd album, Lost In A Dream.
Having studied fine arts, but lacking the patience and discipline for painting, Granduciel was attracted to music after his studies, an art form that suited him better. Together with similar spirit Kurt Vile, they founded The War On Drugs in 2005. Granduciel appeared to be a great storyteller and is able to express his feelings through his songs with much precision. Next to that, his compositions are characterized by an increased layering throughout, much like a master chef working his puff pastry. He is able to put forward entire landscapes layered in sound.
With An Ocean in Between the Waves, Granduciel is painting such a landscape, albeit an enigmatic and haunting one. It was the third song on the setlist of that damp and cloudy evening at Werchter. Being the first time I heard a live version of this song, I was blown away. Back home, I started looking online for live recordings. At that time, I discovered the Live Drugs album, a collection of 10 songs captured live on tour between September 2017 and December 2018. In the recording of An Ocean in Between the Waves, as appearing on that album, the band elevates the studio version to new heights, transforming it into a mesmerizing odyssey.
Now, get into your car and turn up the volume to 11! đđ Let's dive in đ„
The song kicks in with Charlie Hall starting a steady beat on his drumkit. This beat will appear to be our companion throughout the entire song, a driving force, an insistent journey forward. Like a metronome, both urgent and unhurried, never missing a single beat, creating a hypnotic effect, as if the listener is caught in an unseen current.
At 0:28, we hear Granduciel subtly picking his Les Paul for the first time, producing a soothing vibration. One minute in, the round sound of the bass trumpet kicks in, blending neatly with the guitar echos. This combo will reappear again at 2:07. The bass sax and bass trumpet - played by Jon Natchez - thread their way through the entire song, adding a deep, mournful grandeur. These brass instruments inject a dramatic feeling, a contrast to the steady drumbeat that keeps marching onward, refusing to yield.
At 1:32, we get a first glimpse at what appears to be an opponent in the story, reappearing at 2:02, at which Granducial longs for them to be together.Â
At the 2:30 mark, the intensity shifts slightly â the drumkicks become more pronounced, like shifting to second gear. The guitar sound gets remarkable more stingy, which Granduciel describes as a wild wind blowing through the room, akin a nail driven down through the heart. This is the moment when the journey becomes more than just an endless drift; it becomes a struggle, an attempt to rise above the undertow of despair. We hear this clearly at 3:05, the first time Granduciel is pulling the subject of the moon into his story. Our neighbouring satellite will appear to be a recurring theme further in the song.
At 3:15, the song get more dynamic. The guitar, up until this point merely a decorator in the background, begins to push forward and grabs you by the throat. Granducielâs signature mix of smooth, bright solo lines and restrained distortion creates an atmosphere of both clarity and dissonance. At 3:44, the guitar is soothingly fading, blending with the saxophone in a way that I think is just perfect.
Then it's time for the artist to finish his painting. Up until this moment, we have merely witnessed him sketching the outlines of his story, but the details are still missing.
We feel a slightly positive mindset at 4:22, were Granduciel is searching for freedom, longing for peace and finding true love.
At 4:55, we are dragged deeper into Granducielâs longing desires, as he paints a hillside as cold, dark and hazy that it makes you shiver. At 5:45, the guitar sound is no longer restrained â it wails, it growls, drenched in heavy distortion, as if like the there is a storm disturbing a peaceful ocean.
Yet, through it all, Granducielâs voice remains, not drowned but fighting against the spiraling force of the song. He sings of waiting, of being caught on the wrong side, of knowing thereâs no way back but still deciding to push forward. Itâs a feeling of survival, of refusal to surrender, even as the storm closes in. In the final moments of the song, a big wall of sound is build before finally, and unexpectedly launching the last note in the sky, forcing a wining and nagging sound that creeps upon the listenerâŠ
The War on Drugs has always been about movement, about searching, about the restless need to find something â whether itâs freedom, understanding, love, or just a place to belong. An Ocean in Between the Waves is a perfect encapsulation of that ethos. Itâs the sound of a man pushing forward against unseen forces, of love slipping through his fingers, of defiance in the face of inevitability. Through it all, the music remains, vast and immersive, like the ocean itself â endless, powerful, with waves always just out of reach.
And that was just the opening track... 9 more to go đžđ€
Live Drugs is in a class of its own. To me, one of the best live albums of the past 10 years.
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