American indie rock band formed in 2005 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by Adam Granduciel (vocals, guitar) and Kurt Vile (guitar, vocals), The War on Drugs has its music attached to the influences of artists like Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, and Bob Dylan.
With Adam Granduciel, Kurt Vile, David Hartley (bass), and Kyle Lloyd (drums), the group released in 2008 their first album, Wagonwheel Blues, under the Secretly Canadian label. However, at the end of that year, Vile (went on to dedicate himself to his praised solo career) and Lloyd left the band.
After the two musicians left, drummer Mike Zanghi joined Granduciel and Hartley. The trio released the EP Future Weather in 2010. Then multi-instrumentalist Robbie Bennett joined The War on Drugs, and it released two critically acclaimed albums: Slave Ambient (2011) and Lost in the Dream (2014).
Lost in the Dream brought greater visibility to the group. Many critics pointed to influences on the album from artists like Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, and The Waterboys. In 2015, the band signed with Atlantic Records. A Deeper Understanding, the first album by the major label, came out in 2017.
