The War On Drugs’ Adam Granduciel: “I’ve never strayed too far from having the amp shake the room and playing simple chords with some cool sounds”

Adam Granduciel
(Image credit: Hawn Brackbuill)

Adam Granduciel has come a long way since forming The War On Drugs in Philadelphia in 2005 – a journey that has taken his band from the margins of indie rock to mainstream success.

The first breakthrough came in 2014 with album number three, Lost in the Dream, but it was the follow-up, 2017’s A Deeper Understanding, that gave The War On Drugs a top 10 hit in the US, the UK and beyond, and confirmed Granduciel as one of the most gifted songwriters in modern rock.

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Ellie Rogers

Since graduating university with a degree in English, Ellie has spent the last decade working in a variety of media, marketing and live events roles. As well as being a regular contributor to Total Guitar, MusicRadar and GuitarWorld.com, she currently heads up the marketing team of a mid-scale venue in the south-west of England. She started dabbling with guitars around the age of seven and has been borderline obsessed ever since. She has a particular fascination with alternate tunings, is forever hunting for the perfect slide for the smaller-handed guitarist, and derives a sadistic pleasure from bothering her drummer mates with a preference for “f**king wonky” time signatures.