Indie rock outfit The War on Drugs has been a vehicle for singer-songwriter Adam Granduciel, whose synth-infused folk-rock storytelling has drawn comparisons to Bruce Springsteen.
∙ The War on Drugs began as a duo with Granduciel and singer-songwriter Kurt Vile, who appeared on 2008’s debut Wagonwheel Blues before making a name for himself as a solo artist.
∙ Their breakout LP Slave Ambient, which landed at No. 5 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums chart, was named on Pitchfork’s list of the Top 50 Albums of 2011.
∙ As a longtime member of Vile’s backing band, The Violators, Granduciel appeared on such critically acclaimed releases as 2011’s Smoke Ring for My Halo.
∙ “Under the Pressure,” which closed out BoJack Horseman’s Season Five finale, propelled Lost in the Dream to the top of several best of the year lists in 2014.
∙ With 2017’s A Deeper Understanding, The War on Drugs won a Best Rock Album Grammy Award and scored a No. 1 hit song with “Pain,” written after Granduciel had back surgery.