Watch The War On Drugs’ New Video for Stellar Single, “Holding On”

From The War On Drugs’ Atlantic Records debut, A Deeper Understanding, due out August 25th

“I’m not crying… you’re crying.”

“My allergies are flaring up.”

“Is someone cutting onions in here?!”

There you go, there’s your built in excuses for why you might seem a little extra emotional after watching The War on Drugs‘ latest video.

“Holding On”, which was produced by The War On Drugs frontman Adam Granduciel, is a song that stacks up against the band’s previous catalog – a beautiful reimagining of classic rock: timeless, grandiose, and emotionally jarring. The song provides a feeling of nostalgia, even on first listen, and the lyrics back that nostalgia up.

The song, seemingly about holding on to memories of someone gone, and the nagging desire to change the events that took them away, now gets an accompanying video that will tug at your emotional balance.

The video stars Granduciel along side The Wire‘s Frankie Faison and was directed by noted filmmaker Brett Haley, with original concept coming from Krysten Ritter (who also happens to be Granduciel’s girlfriend, most known for her role as Jane on Breaking Bad and the lead in Netflix’s Original Series Jessica Jones).

Faison, who serves as the lead character in the video, awakens to see a white horse roaming his yard which drives him to venture into a nearby town on foot. He visits a local diner, but he’s been here before. The old man strikes up conversation with old friends, and while the conversation is mute, it’s almost as if you can hear them talking through the lyrics in the song. (I admit, I attempted to turn up the volume on my speakers to hear what the characters were smiling about in conversation.)

After a game of billiards, Faison departs through the woods that surround the town. He is approached by a classic truck, driven by TWoD’s frontman. From there, I’ll let you watch the video, including a special heart-tugging “twist” at the end, which fully delivers on the message within “Holding On” as a song.

“Holding On” is the first taste of The War On Drugs’ upcoming album A Deeper Understanding, yet another highly anticipated summer album. The album is the first release since from the group since 2014’s highly acclaimed Lost In A Dream, and promises to be a “band record” in the truest sense of the term – featuring keyboardist Robbie Bennett, bassist Dave Hartley, drummer Charlie Hall and multi-instrumentalists Anthony LaMarca and Jon Natchez.

The War On Drugs will set out on a nationwide tour starting in September in support of A Deeper Understanding. Full tour dates are below, and you can preorder the album here.

The War On Drugs’ North American Tour Dates
Mon. Sep. 18 – Portland, ME @ State Theatre
Thu. Sep. 21 – Philadelphia, PA @ Dell Music Center
Fri. Sep. 22 – New York, NY @ SummerStage in Central Park
Sat. Sep. 23 – Boston, MA @ Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
Mon. Sep. 25 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte
Tue. Sep. 26 – Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle
Thu. Sep. 28 – Dallas, TX @ The Bomb Factory
Fri. Sep. 29 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall [Outside Lawn] Sat. Sep. 30 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
Thu. Oct. 5 – Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre
Fri. Oct. 6 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre
Mon. Oct. 9 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre – SOLD OUT
Tue. Oct. 10 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre
Wed. Oct. 11 – Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
Fri. Oct. 13 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
Sat. Oct. 14 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre – SOLD OUT
Sun. Oct. 15 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
Wed. Oct. 18 – St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre
Thu. Oct. 19 – Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
Fri. Oct. 20 – Columbus, OH @ Express Live!
Sat. Oct. 21 – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall – SOLD OUT
Sun. Oct. 22 – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall