Simon Vozick-Levinson
Contact Simon Vozick-Levinson on X View all posts by Simon Vozick-Levinson September 9, 2026
Emily Shur* The last time the War on Drugs released a new song, it was 2022 and the band was taking a victory lap for its well-received album I Don’t Live Here Anymore. Four years later, we haven’t heard a peep from singer-songwriter Adam Granduciel and co. — but that’s changing today with the release of “Who’s That.”
The band’s big return delivers everything a War on Drugs fan might be hoping for, especially if you’ve caught this song at one of their recent concerts. Granduciel, who wrote and produced the song at his studio in Burbank, California, layers all kinds of six- and 12-string guitars, a Mellotron and other vintage synths, and more into a sweeping vision that’s largely his own handiwork. Bandmates Anthony LaMarca, David Hartley, Robbie Bennett, Jon Natchez, and Eliza Hardy-Jones, plus additional contributors Alex Fischel (of Spoon) and Lily Honigberg, join him to create a backing track that feels like the reason the word “anthemic” was first introduced to music journalism.
Over that majestic backdrop, Granduciel delivers a set of characteristically vulnerable lyrics, singing about deep emotions (“It’s only my depression, baby”) and asking big questions (“Where do I belong?” “Did I blow it?” “Would it be so wrong to be on the take?”) in his Dylanesque drawl.
In a statement, Granduciel describes the song as a product of his daily life in L.A. “‘Who’s That’ was written in 10 minutes somewhere between first coffee and school drop-off. It’s a song about trying to love yourself despite things we can’t always control, like the anxiety, depression and self-doubt that may stand in the way of living the life we truly desire.”
Granduciel has hinted that the band may have something bigger on the way. “I’m almost done making a record, and we’re close to the end,” he told Guitar.com this spring. “I wanted to do something that’s not different, necessarily, in terms of the way it sounds, but something that’s trying to get back to the first couple of records I made. So it’s basically fully homemade.”
In the meantime, the War on Drugs are about to hit the road for a run of fall shows and festivals.
