Summary
I Don't Live Here Anymore is the fifth studio album by American indie rock band The War on Drugs. It was released on October 29, 2021, through Atlantic Records.[1] The album received widespread acclaim, with one of its singles, "Harmonia's Dream," receiving a nomination for Best Rock Song at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.[2]
| I Don't Live Here Anymore | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 29, 2021 | |||
| Recorded | 2018–2021 | |||
| Studio |
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| Length | 52:16 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer | ||||
| The War on Drugs chronology | ||||
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| Singles from I Don't Live Here Anymore | ||||
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Recording edit
I Don't Live Here Anymore was recorded at seven different studios over the course of three years.[3] The album was co-produced by frontman Adam Granduciel and engineer Shawn Everett.[4] Granduciel moved to Los Angeles at the end of 2014, but spent most of 2018 living in New York City.[5] In March 2018, while still on tour in support of the band's fourth album A Deeper Understanding, Granduciel began work on the album at Outlier Inn studio in Upstate New York. He spent a week there demoing songs with bassist Dave Hartley and multi-instrumentalist Anthony LaMarca.[6] In between touring, Granduciel also spent time writing and recording at Studio G in Brooklyn. At the end of 2018, the band spent a week recording at Electric Lady Studios in downtown Manhattan. Granduciel spent 2019 in Los Angeles, and recorded with band at Electro-Vox Recording Studios in May 2019. Granduciel and Everett separated in March 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. They reunited in October 2020 at Sound City Studios, where they recorded for three weeks.[5] Recording also took place at Sunset Sound Recorders and EastWest Studios.[7]
The songs on I Don't Live Here Anymore were all reimagined, rewritten and/or remixed multiple times over the course of the album's three-year recording process. Once the album was given a "final" mixing and was mastered by Greg Calbi, Granduciel decided to change the mixes of several songs.[7] After a month of revision, Atlantic Records pushed back its release date. One day, Granduciel arranged a final session with Everett to complete the album.[5] They spent twelve hours in Everett's studio remixing several tracks, and then remastered those songs themselves.[7]
Release edit
The band announced the album on July 19, 2021, simultaneously releasing the single "Living Proof".[8] The album's title track, which features Lucius, was released on September 15, 2021.[9] "Change" was released on October 26, 2021.[10] I Don't Live Here Anymore was released on October 29, 2021, through Atlantic Records. It follows their Grammy Award-winning album A Deeper Understanding (2017) and is the second record of a two-album deal with Atlantic.[11]
Critical reception edit
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.0/10[12] |
| Metacritic | 85/100[13] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [14] |
| Classic Rock | 7/10[15] |
| DIY |  [16] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10[17] |
| Mojo | [18] |
| NME | [19] |
| The Observer | [3] |
| Pitchfork | 8.4/10[20] |
| Rolling Stone | [21] |
| Uncut | 8/10[22] |
I Don't Live Here Anymore received acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 85, based on 25 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[13] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.0 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[12] Rhys Buchanan of NME gave the album 5 out of 5 stars, writing, "There's magic everywhere you look on this triumph of an album."[19] Mark Beaumont of Classic Rock wrote that the album is "at its most immersive when they strip the moodscapes back to piano, glacial atmospherics and cracked emotion on "Living Proof", "Rings Around My Father's Eyes" and the rousing "Old Skin", allowing a little fragility to tint their mist blue."[15] Writing for Beats Per Minute, John Amen concluded, "There’s something ungraspable about their music: referential yet original, derivative yet prototypical, memorable yet oddly irretrievable. Ponderous yet transcendent. A listener is invited to encounter the assorted boundaries of their own preferences, biases, identity – to let those hard lines dissolve."[23] Sharon O'Connell of Uncut wrote, "The War On Drugs have fine-tuned their hybrid of American drivetime classicism and kosmische on "I Don't Live Here Anymore" and buffed it to a warm sheen."[22]
Year-end lists edit
| Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard | The 50 Best Albums of 2021 | 40
|
|
| Entertainment Weekly | The 10 best albums of 2021 | 2
|
|
| The Guardian | The 50 best albums of 2021 | 34
|
|
| Mojo | The 75 Best Albums of 2021 | 17
|
|
| NME | The 50 best albums of 2021 | 12
|
|
| Paste | The 50 Best Albums of 2021 | 20
|
|
| Pitchfork | The 50 Best Albums of 2021 | 34
|
|
| Spin | The 30 Best Albums of 2021 | 13
|
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| Stereogum | The 50 Best Albums of 2021 | 1
|
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| Uncut | The Top 75 Albums of the Year | 8
|
Track listing edit
All lyrics are written by Adam Granduciel; all music is composed by Adam Granduciel, except where noted
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Living Proof" | 4:53 | |
| 2. | "Harmonia's Dream" |
| 6:26 |
| 3. | "Change" |
| 6:04 |
| 4. | "I Don't Wanna Wait" |
| 5:13 |
| 5. | "Victim" | 6:00 | |
| 6. | "I Don't Live Here Anymore" (featuring Lucius) |
| 5:27 |
| 7. | "Old Skin" | 4:52 | |
| 8. | "Wasted" | 4:10 | |
| 9. | "Rings Around My Father's Eyes" | 4:17 | |
| 10. | "Occasional Rain" | 4:54 | |
| Total length: | 52:16 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Oceans of Darkness" | 3:35 |
| 2. | "Slow Ghost" | 3:10 |
| Total length: | 59:01 | |
Personnel edit
The War on Drugs
- Adam Granduciel – vocals (all tracks), acoustic guitar (1–3, 7–10), lead electric guitar (1, 4–6), piano (1, 4, 6), Juno 106 (1, 4, 5), celesta (1, 8), electric guitar (2, 3, 7–10), synth guitar (2), bass (2, 6), Juno 60 (2, 5, 7, 8), Hammond organ (2, 3, 9), percussion (2, 4, 8), Wurlitzer (4, 5, 10), Kurzweil (4, 6), Prophet-6 (4), MPC (5), 808 drum programming (5), Korg K2 (6), Walter Becker's old bass (7), felt piano (7), harmonica (7), ARP Quartet (8), Mellotron (9, 10), lead guitar [outro] (10), production, art direction
- Dave Hartley – bass (1, 2, 4–6, 8–10), VP-330 (2, 5), Rickenbacker bass (3), electric guitar (4), OP-1 (9), cover and gatefold photography
- Robbie Bennett – piano (1, 2, 5, 8–10), Prophet 12 (2), Akai AX60 (2), Oberheim OB-X (4), New Jersey electric guitar (6), Juno 60 (6), Eventide piano (7), ARP Solina (9)
- Charlie Hall – drums (5, 7), percussion (5–7), prepared piano (8)
- Anthony LaMarca – drums (1, 3, 4, 9), Hammond organ (1), percussion (3, 4, 9, 10), electric vibes (4), electric guitar (4), pedal steel guitar (9), acoustic guitar (10)
- Jon Natchez – Prophet-6 (1), baritone saxophone (2, 4, 5, 8), Hammond organ (4), Wurlitzer (9)
Additional musicians
- Michael Bloch – Mellotron (1), nylon AMS dub guitar (2), Ursa Major Telecaster (3), electric guitar (4), electric swamp guitar (5), lead electric guitar (9), lead electric raindrop guitar (10)
- James Elkington – lead electric guitar (2), lead acoustic guitar (2)
- Patrick Berkery – drums (2, 8, 10), percussion (2, 8, 10)
- Lee Pardini – grand piano (3, 7), piano (8)
- Christopher Bear – drums (5), percussion (5)
- Matt Lowell – background vocals (5)
- Lucius – vocals (6)
- Eric Slick – drums (6), percussion (6)
- Sam KS – drums (6), percussion (6)
- Daniel Clarke – Hammond organ (7), organ (8)
Technical
- Shawn Everett – production, mixing, recording
- Greg Calbi – mastering
- Ivan Wayman – additional engineering
- Nick Krill – additional engineering
- Quarantine Cowboys – additional engineering
- Steve Fallone – mastering assistance
Artwork and design
- Rob Carmichael (SEEN) – art direction, design
- Dominic East – art direction
- Daniel Topete – additional studio photography
- Dustin Condren – additional studio photography
Charts edit
Weekly charts edit
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Year-end charts edit
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References edit
- ^ Aswad, Jem (July 19, 2021). "The War on Drugs Unveil First Studio Album in Four Years, 'I Don't Live Here Anymore'". Variety. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ Lee, Taila (November 15, 2022). "2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Nominees List". Grammys.com. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ a b Mongredien, Phil (October 31, 2021). "The War on Drugs: I Don't Live Here Anymore review – songs for cruising endless highways". The Observer. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
- ^ Horn, Olivia (October 18, 2021). "The War on Drugs Can't Stop Searching for Answers in the Music". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ a b c Groundwater, Colin (October 27, 2021). "How Fatherhood Changed The War on Drugs". GQ. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
- ^ Bucksbaum, Sydney (October 28, 2021). "'It brought us together': The War on Drugs talk making their most collaborative album yet". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
- ^ a b c Schultz, Barbara (October 28, 2021). "With 'I Don't Live Here Anymore,' The War on Drugs Find Beauty in the Journey". Mix. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
- ^ Yoo, Noah (July 19, 2021). "The War on Drugs Announce New Album I Don't Live Here Anymore, Share "Living Proof" Video: Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ Blistein, Jon (September 15, 2021). "The War on Drugs Tap Indie Pop Outfit Lucius for 'I Don't Live Here Anymore'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ Richards, Will (October 26, 2021). "The War On Drugs share 'Change', the final preview of their new album". NME. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ Hogan, Michael (October 5, 2021). "Can the War on Drugs Find Peace at Last?". Vanity Fair. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ a b "I Don't Live Here Anymore by The War On Drugs reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
- ^ a b "I Don't Live Here Anymore by The War on Drugs Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
- ^ Thomas, Fred. "I Don't Live Here Anymore - The War on Drugs". AllMusic. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
- ^ a b Beaumont, Mark (November 2021). "The War On Drugs – I Don't Live Here Anymore: Some heart glimpsed through the haze on the 80s reinventor's fifth". Classic Rock. No. 294. p. 77.
- ^ Goggins, Joe (October 28, 2021). "The War on Drugs - I Don't Live Here Anymore Album Review". DIY. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
- ^ Hudson, Alex (October 25, 2021). "The War on Drugs Aim for Arena Grandeur on 'I Don't Live Here Anymore'". Exclaim!. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
- ^ Cameron, Keith (November 2021). "Ghost on the highway: The erstwhile Philly one-man band's fifth album sees Adam Granduciel still following the dream. But how does it feel?". Mojo. No. 336. p. 82.
- ^ a b Buchanan, Rhys (October 28, 2021). "The War On Drugs – 'I Don't Live Here Anymore' review: a soul-stirring epic". NME. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ Larson, Jeremy D. (October 29, 2021). "The War on Drugs: I Don't Live Here Anymore Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
- ^ Dolan, Jon (October 29, 2021). "The War on Drugs Invent Indie Yacht Rock". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
- ^ a b O'Connell, Sharon (November 2021). "The War On Drugs – I Don't Live Here Anymore: An existential shift with super widescreen views on sextet's fifth". Uncut. No. 294. p. 22.
- ^ Amen, John. "Album Review: The War On Drugs – I Don't Live Here Anymore". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
- ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2021: Staff List". Billboard. December 6, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
- ^ Greenblatt, Leah; Suskind, Alex; Lamphier, Jason; Johnston, Maura; Jones, Marcus (December 8, 2021). "The 10 best (and 3 worst) albums of 2021". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
- ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben; Snapes, Laura (December 17, 2021). "The 50 best albums of 2021". The Guardian. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
- ^ "The 75 Best Albums Of 2021". Mojo. No. 338. January 2022. p. 56.
- ^ "The 50 best albums of 2021". NME. December 10, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
- ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2021". Paste. November 29, 2021. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
- ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2021". Pitchfork. December 7, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- ^ "The 30 Best Albums of 2021". Spin. December 13, 2021. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
- ^ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2021". Stereogum. December 6, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
- ^ "The Top 75 Albums Of The Year". Uncut. No. 296. January 2022. p. 61.
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – The War on Drugs – I Don't Live Here Anymore". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – The War on Drugs – I Don't Live Here Anymore" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – The War on Drugs – I Don't Live Here Anymore" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – The War on Drugs – I Don't Live Here Anymore" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
- ^ "The War on Drugs Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
- ^ "Danishcharts.dk – The War on Drugs – I Don't Live Here Anymore". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The War on Drugs – I Don't Live Here Anymore" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ "The War on Drugs: I Dont Live Here Anymore" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – The War on Drugs – I Don't Live Here Anymore". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The War on Drugs – I Don't Live Here Anymore" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November , 2021.
- ^ "Official IFPI Charts Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Combined) Εβδομάδα: 48/2021". IFPI Greece. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
- ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2021. 44. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
- ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
- ^ "Charts.nz – The War on Drugs – I Don't Live Here Anymore". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – The War on Drugs – I Don't Live Here Anymore". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – The War on Drugs – I Don't Live Here Anymore". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – The War on Drugs – I Don't Live Here Anymore". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – The War on Drugs – I Don't Live Here Anymore". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
- ^ "The War on Drugs Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
- ^ "The War on Drugs Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
- ^ "The War on Drugs Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2021". Ultratop. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2021". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2022" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved January 14, 2023.