The War on Drugs has indie rock fans everywhere bristling after Adam Granduciel announced the group would be heading to Atlantic Records for a two-album contract. The band had released its three previous album's, including 2014's acclaimed Lost In The Dream, on independent label Secretly Canadian. Should fans be worried that the expectations of big music will crush the quality of War's output?
No, says Granduciel, "being on a larger label brings a whole new set of resources and exposure."
War on Drugs seems to have gotten plenty of exposure over the last year from publications listing Dream among their favorite albums of the year (including this one). Proof of the sudden surge in attention includes appearances on the forthcoming Guitar Hero title as well as appearances at just about every major American music festival.
Should we panic?
Hopefully not. As Consequence of Sound points out on its very timely list, many acts have successfully transitioned from indie to major without "selling out," per se. Just look at the Seattle grunge scene. Both Soundgarden and the Screaming Trees ended up producing their best work after ditching SST for bigger pastures, and few would argue that Nirvana's Bleach (from hometown Sub Pop) was better than Nevermind (released under the Universal Music umbrella). So let's just breathe and hope for the best.
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