I Don’t Live Here Anymore – The War on Drugs ★★★★

On their 2014 release, The War on Drugs established their 80s-influenced classic rock sound, with laidback echoing guitars, Tom Petty styled vocals and triumphant synths. 

In 2017, the band enhanced their sound, adding more layers, more pianos, longer builds, more prominent guitar solos and deeper meaning in their tracks.

In 2021, they refined what they did. There isn’t much new on I Don’t Live Here Anymore, but the songs are tighter and a little simpler. The (slightly) shorter, more even tracks mean the builds and big choruses don’t always soar as high as they have in the past. But the album still works, and the War on Drugs sound like themself (almost to the point of self parody at times),which is sure to delight fans who love their sound,  such as myself. Highlights include the acoustic opener and lead single “Living Proof,” the title track and “Wasted” — two anthemic, synth-driven rockers — and “Occasional Rain.”