| Live Drugs Again | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | September 13, 2024 | |||
| Recorded | February 2022 to December 2023 | |||
| Venue | Various venues in North America, Europe, and Australia | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 72:30 | |||
| Label | Super High Quality | |||
| Producer | The War on Drugs | |||
| The War on Drugs chronology | ||||
| ||||
Live Drugs Again is a live album by The War on Drugs, released on September 13, 2024, by Super High Quality Records. [1] The material was recorded on tour between February 2022 and December 2023 in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia. The album stitches multitrack soundboard performances to play like a single concert, including an edition of "Under the Pressure" compiled from six different shows. [2] [3] [4]
The band announced the project on September 4, 2024, with a live edit of "Burning" as the lead single. Live recordings captured from February 2022 to December 2023 across America, the UK, Europe, and Australia. Adam Granduciel described the series as documenting how the songs evolved on stage. [2] [3] A review noted that the production assembles performances to maintain the arc of a single show. It also reported that "Under the Pressure" was built from six different performances. [4]
Digital formats were issued on September 13, 2024, through Super High Quality Records. Physical formats in late 2024 and early 2025 were handled in partnership with Transgressive and Canvasback in select territories. [2] [5]
On November 18, 2024, the band released Live Drugs Again (Encore Edition) with two additional tracks, "Nothing to Find" and "Occasional Rain". The Encore Edition was issued on CD on December 13, 2024, with additional physical formats following in January and February 2025. [6] [7] [5] The band's official store lists the thirteen track sequence used on the Encore Edition. [8]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Pitchfork | 7.9/10 [4] |
| Uproxx | positive [9] |
| FLOOD | positive [10] |
| Americana Highways | positive [11] |
Live Drugs Again received positive reviews from critics. Pitchfork rated the album 7.9 out of 10 and highlighted the expanded seven-member lineup with the addition of multi-instrumentalist Eliza Hardy Jones in 2022. [4] Uproxx critic Steven Hyden called the set "epic rock 'n' roll that manages to top even the titanic Live Drugs, if only because The War On Drugs are that much better as a live band." [9] FLOOD praised how "The War on Drugs inject an earnest, youthful enthusiasm in these live versions, as well as an overheated panther's sense of stalking" while spotlighting reworked arrangements of "Burning" and "I Don't Live Here Anymore". [10] Americana Highways similarly concluded that "they're one of the best acts touring today, precisely because the live arrangements don't faithfully mimic the studio recordings, but instead build something entirely new nearly every time the band plays them". [11]
In the United Kingdom, the album peaked at number 17 on the Official Album Downloads Chart on September 26, 2024. It reached number 27 on the Official Independent Albums Chart on October 3, 2024. On the Official Physical Albums Chart it first appeared at number 90 on October 3, 2024, then reached a new peak of number 80 on February 27, 2025. [12]
All tracks are live recordings compiled by the War on Drugs. Track times reflect the initial 11-track digital release. [3]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Harmonia's Dream (Live...Again)" | 9:57 |
| 2. | "Burning (Live...Again)" | 5:10 |
| 3. | "Old Skin (Live...Again)" | 5:11 |
| 4. | "Come to the City (Live...Again)" | 6:57 |
| 5. | "I Don't Wanna Wait (Live...Again)" | 5:02 |
| 6. | "Pain (Live...Again)" | 5:50 |
| 7. | "Slow Ghost (Live...Again)" | 3:19 |
| 8. | "In Chains (Live...Again)" | 7:55 |
| 9. | "Living Proof (Live...Again)" | 4:55 |
| 10. | "Under the Pressure (Live...Again)" | 10:51 |
| 11. | "I Don't Live Here Anymore (Live...Again)" | 7:23 |
Encore Edition track additions: "Nothing to Find (Live...Again)" and "Occasional Rain (Live...Again)". The Encore Edition sequence runs 13 tracks. [6] [8]
Credits for performance and production are adapted from contemporaneous coverage and the release listing. [11] [3]
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Adam Granduciel | vocals, guitars, mixing, production |
| David Hartley | bass guitar |
| Robbie Bennett | keyboards |
| Charlie Hall | drums |
| Jon Natchez | saxophones, keyboards |
| Anthony LaMarca | guitars |
| Eliza Hardy Jones | keyboards, backing vocals |
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| The War on Drugs | production |
| Austin Asvanonda | mixing |
| Adam Granduciel | mixing |
| Greg Calbi | mastering |
| Dominic East | photography |
| Rob Carmichael, SEEN | design |
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Official Album Downloads Chart | 17 |
| UK Official Independent Albums Chart | 27 |
| UK Official Physical Albums Chart | 80 |
| Region | Format | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worldwide | Digital and streaming | September 13, 2024 | Standard 11-track release [3] |
| Select territories | CD | December 13, 2024 | Encore Edition with two additional tracks [7] [5] |
| Select territories | Cassette, Vinyl | January to February 2025 | Additional physical formats issued via Transgressive and Canvasback partners [5] |
The set draws heavily from 2021's I Don't Live Here Anymore. Granduciel stitched this version of "Under the Pressure" from six different performances.