The War On Drugs deliver one of the freshest debuts of recent times, and push the boundaries of a quintessentially American music. They are a fresh face that already sounds like an old friend. Bringing a dose of the West Coast to the hard streets of Philadelphia, their songs recall the ‘80s guitar army of Sonic Youth with the captivating lyrics and vocal stylings of Tom Petty or Bruce Springsteen.

Walls of guitar – acoustic, electric, and twelve-string – douse each track, threatening to cast the band into space rock territory, but the melodies and immediately identifiable lyrics soldier on to keep these songs from blasting into the esoteric beyond. Guitars soar and colourful clouds roll past whatever sun or moon you are cruising under, through whatever old bar you are revelling within. ‘Wagonwheel Blues’ is one of those albums that we hold onto tightly during every move of house; they are songs on the radio that follow us from town to town. They evoke waves of nostalgia and grow more poignant with each new bump along the road. This is truly special!