The War On Drugs Navigate Life’s Uncertainty on Uplifting New Single “Who’s That”

The War On Drugs return with a new single, “Who’s That”, the band’s first new music since their 2021 LP, I Don’t Live Here Anymore. Led by front man Adam Granduciel, the anthemic track continues the band’s psych-tinged heartland rock in a lament about navigating life’s uncertainty.

Granduciel’s bandmates David Hartley, Robbie Bennett, Anthony LaMarca, Jon Natchez, and Eliza Hardy Jones contribute to the track alongside guests Lily Honigberg and Spoon’s keyboardist and guitarist Alex Fischel.

This is Granduciel again channeling Bob Dylan as he crosses his own kind of Desolation Row.

Behind the Lyrics

In “Who’s That”, Granduciel tries to locate himself amid life’s daily chaos. He aims to stay present rather than focus on past mistakes that continue to haunt him.

Would it be so wrong to be on the take?
I’ve been blowing all the ducks away,
Just another weekday.
Wouldn’t be so bad if you’d just engage.
And kept running from a memory,
Of living through the same thing.

He compares himself to the giant mythological hunter, Orion. But no matter how much he accumulates, each triumph does little to cure his depression.

Like Orion when I wake up in the morn’,
There’s a fire burning just there out of reach.
I keep moving through the revolving doors,
It’s only my depression, baby.

Here, he’s running down a dream but feels continually lost in the pursuit. And it’s not clear if he’s running toward or away from something. Still, his despair persists.

Where do I belong?
Will it change with time?
You’ve been running down a different road,
And I keep moving to the inside.

Desolation Row

Granduciel said in a statement that the song was written in 10 minutes, “somewhere between first coffee and school drop-off.” He said, “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.”

Did I blow it?
Did it just explode?
There’s a lion hanging from my teeth.
I can taste it, but I can’t get close,
It’s only my depression, baby.

Photo by James Smith/Sam Snap/Getty Images