"An Ocean in Between the Waves" Released: March 9, 2015
Lost in the Dream is the third studio album by Americanindie rock bandThe War on Drugs, released on March 18, 2014, throughSecretly 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 by1980s rock, as well asAmericana, with influences coming fromBruce Springsteen,Spacemen 3 andNeil Young & Crazy Horse.
The album debuted at number 26 on theBillboard 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".
After The War on Drugs' second albumSlave Ambient was released to much critical acclaim, primary songwriterAdam 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."[5] This depression and paranoia served as an inspiration to the lyrical theme ofLost in the Dream.[5][6]
Recording on the album began in the summer of 2012 and took place over a two-year period inPhiladelphia,New York City,North Carolina, andNew Jersey.[7] Granduciel wrote all the songs on the album.[8] 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."[9]
Songs on the album went through several versions. Granduciel scrapped the originaldemo 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."[8][9] "Suffering" went through several variations before Granduciel decided to go back to the original demo.[9]
"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.[17]
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."[8]
The album was announced on December 4, 2013. That same day, the first single from the album, "Red Eyes" was released.[7] The band debuted the tracks "Under the Pressure", "Eyes to the Wind", and "Burning" during the band's December 2013 tour of Australia.[8][18] On March 5, 2014, a music video for "Red Eyes" was released.[19] The album was streamed in its entirety on March 10, 2014, onThe Guardian's website.[20] On August 20, 2014, a music video for "Under the Pressure" was released.[21]
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.[22]
Lost in the Dream received acclaim from contemporary music critics. OnMetacritic, it holds a score of 86 out of 100 based on 40 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[24]Pitchfork's Stuart Berman gaveLost in the Dream a "Best New Music" designation and remarked that the album is "loaded with songs whose greatness is revealed slowly, where the simplest, most understated chord change can blow a track wide open and elevate it from simply pretty to absolutely devastating."[10]AllMusic's Fred Thomas calledLost in the Dream "the War on Drugs'Daydream Nation orDisintegration" and wrote of the album: "It's a near flawless collection of dreamy vibes, shifting moods, and movement, and stands easily as Granduciel's finest hour so far."[13] Dan Caffrey ofConsequence of Sound felt that over repeated plays of the album, one gradually realizes "that Granduciel is discovering the problems of his life, not figuring them out or even reflecting on them. This all makes for an album that truly sounds like it's coming to life."[16] Ross Horton ofmusicOMH calledLost in the Dream "a tender, inviting, consoling, comforting record that you'll play again and again (stoned or not)" and "perfect in every way".[14]
While stating thatLost in the Dream fails to consistently live up to its peak moments,Greg Kot of theChicago Tribune nonetheless concluded that Granduciel "is on to something with this more band-focused release, and that new dynamic deserves an even deeper exploration next time."[31] In a mixed assessment, Mike Powell ofRolling Stone felt that "seven-minutes-plus songs like 'In Reverse' and 'An Ocean in Between the Waves' have enough locomotion to go twice as long, while slower tracks like 'Suffering' are deadwood in search of a spark."[30] In an otherwise positive review, Mike Walmsley of The 405 criticized the second half of the album, writing "Unfortunately, as they pass the Midwest on their road trip, the Mustang appears to have run out of gas."[32] In 2019,Happy Mag placedLost In The Dream at no.7 on their list of "The 25 best psychedelic rock albums of the 2010s", stating that it is "a shining example of starting a record with guns blazing."[3] For the album's tenth anniversary in 2024, Dash Lewis who had toured with the band White Laces as the opening act for The War on Drugs in 2014; wrote forPaste that "A decade after release, the album still feels singular in the War on Drug's discography... SinceLost in the Dream they've become a kind of institution, the Last Great American Rock Band."[33]
Based on 139 year-end top ten lists compiled by Metacritic,Lost in the Dream was the most critically acclaimed album of 2014, appearing on 54 lists and being named first on 13 of them.[34]Paste namedLost in the Dream as their album of the year, writing "from all the muck and malaise that midlife produces, something beautiful and permanent has been revealed—an enduring contribution to the canon."[35]Consequence named it their album of the year, writing "In tune with Granduciel’s way of evoking synchronicity, there’s a cosmic truth toLost in the Dream triumphing this year. For one, Granduciel is personally seizing the crown off the head of his musical soulmate,Kurt Vile ... and, forSecretly Canadian ... it’s a poignant landmark following the year it lost its godfather,Jason Molina."[36] Other publications that namedLost in the Dream as album of the year includedUncut,[37]Q[34] andUnder the Radar.[38] The album was ranked #2 onMojo's,[39]American Songwriter's,[40]musicOMH's,[41]Stereogum's[42] andThe Guardian's best albums of the year list for 2014.[43] The album was ranked the 103rd greatest indie rock album of all time byMelophobe in 2023.[44]
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