The War on Drugs Return on the Emotional New Single “Who’s That”

The War on Drugs last emerged with a new song in 2022, amid a successful promotional run for their acclaimed album I Don’t Live Here Anymore. Four years later, singer-songwriter Adam Granduciel and the band have returned with “Who’s That.”

The single offers much of what longtime fans have come to expect from the group. Granduciel wrote and produced the song at his Burbank, California, studio, building an expansive arrangement with six- and 12-string guitars, a Mellotron, vintage synthesizers and other instruments. Bandmates Anthony LaMarca, David Hartley, Robbie Bennett, Jon Natchez and Eliza Hardy-Jones join him, along with additional contributors Alex Fischel of Spoon and Lily Honigberg.

Against that widescreen instrumentation, Granduciel delivers his signature mix of vulnerability and quiet urgency. The lyrics explore depression, belonging and regret, with lines including “It’s only my depression, baby,” “Where do I belong?” “Did I blow it?” and “Would it be so wrong to be on the take?”

Granduciel described the song as an expression of his daily life in Los Angeles. “‘Who’s That’ was written in 10 minutes somewhere between first coffee and school drop-off. It’s a song about trying to love yourself despite things we can’t always control, like the anxiety, depression and self-doubt that may stand in the way of living the life we truly desire,” he said.

Granduciel has also suggested that the band may have a larger release in the works. Speaking to Guitar.com this spring, he said he was nearing the end of recording a new album inspired by the group’s earliest work. “I wanted to do something that’s not different, necessarily, in terms of the way it sounds, but something that’s trying to get back to the first couple of records I made. So it’s basically fully homemade,” he said.

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