A Deeper Understanding represents another step forward for the War on Drugs, and is among their most ambitious, consistent, and emotionally searing works yet.

A Deeper Understanding suffers a bit just in that The War on Drugs are no longer new on the scene—the album is more a distillation of the formula they toyed with on previous albums. It's not as new anymore, but it sure sounds great.

It’s The War On Drugs doing what they always do so well, only on a more dramatic scale than ever before. There’s nothing quite as urgent and propulsive as Lost In The Dream’s Under Pressure or Red Eyes here, but arguably there is even greater depth in terms of texture.

Though there's nothing here to grab headlines, A Deeper Understanding reclaims and explores the distinctive soundscapes, vastness, and haunted psyche of Lost in the Dream, and that in itself is significant.

A record that banishes any listener cynicism on first contact; a wide-eyed look into the wild blue yonder.

Leader Adam Granduciel achieves full-on sonic rapture with his band's latest LP, an abstract-expressionist mural of synth-pop and heartland rock colored by bruised optimism and some of his most generous, incandescent guitar ever.

These songs revel in their spaciousness, like three- minute drivetime anthems from 1986 set free from their radio edits to muck around with 2017’s oddest noises for seven minutes at a time.

What could have been overcooked is the most vivid War on Drugs album, a shimmering chrome dream caught between heartland and the heavens.

There are clear dynamic voids, tension shifts forgotten, something hollow or maybe alien about the patent, polished delivery of the band’s production and performances that, when not enjoyed in the live setting, seems destined to be relegated to the mire of music to listen to while doing other shit.

Produced differently, A Deeper Understanding could be really startling stuff; as it is, it feels like The War on Drugs have made an agreeable, fan-pleasing album to escape into and hide in, not to a record to take on the world.

This time around ... all of the sonic elements have snapped into focus: the drums are booming, the guitar leads are vivid, and even the washes of synths are bright rather than bleary.

The unrelenting motif of these dark nights of the soul and long, winding roads—as well as the contrast of yearning for the light—grows tiresome, blunting the impact of the War on Drugs's finely tuned music.

While stylistically The War on Drugs have never released anything revolutionary, A Deeper Understanding lacks that spark that their previous releases had, which could well be due in part to their move to a new major label home.

This is The War On Drugs formula, and you can't say that songs like 'In Chains' or 'Pain' aren't beautiful, but for any fans looking for progression, you'll be searching for a while.

It’s all too controlled and unambitious; and just aping Dylan’s wheeze doesn’t make it any more intriguing.

Ultimately, A Deeper Understanding sounds like you expect it to – the band who made Lost in the Dream trying to do it all over again, but this time they’re sounding more placid, and a touch sunnier.

What you see is pretty much what you get with A Deeper Understanding: impeccably-produced songs about aging and disillusionment imbued with an air of nostalgia.

The biggest problem with ‘A Deeper Understanding’ isn’t how over-long it is – it’s the sheer inevitability of it all.

A Deeper Understanding is big on sound, but small on substance.