In an album as strong and consistently inspring as the forthcoming newie from Philadelphia’s The War On Drugs, picking out a highlight is about as difficult as being forced to favour one of your own offspring. In fairness, Slave Ambient needs to be listened to as a complete work to fully appreciate the sonic density and widescreen euphoria that is contained within its 12 tracks. However, like most records, there is a centerpiece that holds everything together and in this instance it’s the sprawling ‘Come To The City’.

“Take me back to the place I’m from / past the farms and debris” proclaims WoD’s leader Adam Granduciel at the beginning of the track, offering a sort of ‘station approach’ setting to the song – a homecoming. Texture and heavily weighted atmospherics collide amongst the intertwined bass and drums whilst a droning synth gurgles underneath it all, bubbling away like a volcano about to erupt and, at the 1:45 mark does just that. An explosion of colour and noise; awe inspiring and completely brilliant.

The War On Drugs – Come to the City

The War on Drugs release Slave Ambient on August 15 via Secretly Canadian. In support of the record, they’re due to play the following dates:

September
13 – The Lexington, London
14 – The Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
15 – The Harley, Sheffield
16 – The Green Door Store, Brighton