Lost in the Dream (2014)

Lost in the Dream is the third studio album by American indie rock band The War on Drugs, released on March 18, 2014, through Secretly Canadian. The recording session, which took place over a two-year period, was characterized by numerous rewrites. The album's lyrical themes were influenced by the loneliness and depression Granduciel faced after he finished touring. Musically, the record was inspired by 1980s rock, as well as Americana, with influences coming from Bruce Springsteen, Spacemen 3 and Neil Young & Crazy Horse.

The album debuted at number 26 on the Billboard 200 and received universal acclaim from critics upon its release, appearing on and topping numerous end-of-year lists of the best albums. Five promotional radio singles were released: "Red Eyes", "Under the Pressure", "Burning", "Eyes to the Wind", and "An Ocean in Between the Waves".

Background

After The War on Drugs' second album Slave Ambient was released to much critical acclaim, primary songwriter Adam Granduciel spent much of 2011 touring. After the tour was finished, Granduciel had a hard time adjusting to everyday life, later recounting that such feelings "started to spiral into emotional distress and physical manifestations of depression and paranoia." This depression and paranoia served as an inspiration to the lyrical theme of Lost in the Dream.

Production

Recording

Recording on the album began in the summer of 2012 and took place over a two-year period in Philadelphia, New York City, North Carolina, and New Jersey. Granduciel wrote all the songs on the album. The album's recording was characterized by Granduciel's anxiety and second-guessing, with Granduciel remarking "I started going off the rails a little bit in my own head, getting a little too sucked in."

Songs on the album went through several versions. Granduciel scrapped the original demo for "An Ocean in Between the Waves" two weeks before the album was supposed to be turned in to the record company after spending a year writing the song, saying that "it wasn't the vibe of the song that I was searching for." "Suffering" went through several variations before Granduciel decided to go back to the original demo.

Music

The music on Lost in the Dream is inspired by 1980s rock, as well as Americana and Krautrock. Artists who have been cited as influences on the album's overall sound include Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, the Waterboys, Spacemen 3, Spiritualized, Talk Talk and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. The album's sound is characterized by synthesizers, keyboards, horns and "ambient guitars". Whereas the previous albums by The War on Drugs contained several instrumental tracks, Lost in the Dream only has one instrumental track, "The Haunting Idle".

Critics have compared the song "Burning" to Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" and Rod Stewart's "Young Turks". Fleetwood Mac's influence was noted on "An Ocean in Between the Waves", while Pitchfork compared "Disappearing" to Tears for Fears' "Pale Shelter".

"Under the Pressure" is based on Adam Granduciel and how he split with his girlfriend and was feeling alone and depressed after being back in the city.

Artwork

The album cover features an image of Adam Granduciel standing in front of a window in his home. Granduciel commented on how the album's artwork was a reflection of his involvement in the recording process, saying "This wasn't a band record. This was a solo record. I knew that. They've all [The War on Drugs' albums] been solo records."

Release

The album was announced on December 4, 2013. That same day, the first single from the album, "Red Eyes" was released. The band debuted the tracks "Under the Pressure", "Eyes to the Wind", and "Burning" during the band's December 2013 tour of Australia. On March 5, 2014, a music video for "Red Eyes" was released. The album was streamed in its entirety on March 10, 2014, on The Guardian's website. On August 20, 2014, a music video for "Under the Pressure" was released.

As of August 2017 the album has sold more than 255,000 copies (including streaming equivalents), according to Nielsen; some 114,000 of those sales were physical.