22. The War on Drugs- A Deeper Understanding (2017)

The War on Drugs are Philly royalty, and after a decade of the City Brotherly Love pumping out some of the best and most genre defining indie rock in the world (shout out to some of the other incredible Philly bands like Manequin Pussy, Low Cut Connie, and Japanese Breakfast), The War on Drugs still reign supreme. There is a long history of bands who sign to a major label, and then for whatever reason end up a releasing a record that is nowhere near as good the albums that got them there in the first place. The War on Drugs, thankfully avoid this and ended up producing one of the best records of the decade. A Deeper Understanding features Adam Granduciel and company perfecting their sound with songs like “Up All Night, “Pain”, and “Holding On” are three of the best and most listener friendly songs in their discography. Everything about A Deeper Understanding builds on what the band does on their previous record, the critically adored Lost In a Dream. However, nothing on this album is a copy or re-tread of that ground, instead it’s a natural progression and evolution. There’s no doubt that this is also their most widely accessible album to date, but A Deeper Understanding also disproves the notion that being accessible and expanding your sound is a bad thing.