A Deeper Understanding
by The War On Drugs

A Deeper Understanding by The War On Drugs
Year: 2017
Release date: 2017-08-25
Overall rank: 390th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
81/100 (from 619 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 5 albums of 2017 (4th)
Award Top 50 albums of the 2010s (50th)
Award Top 500 albums of all time (390th)

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The War on Drugs A Deeper Understanding CD Album NEW Sealed Indie Rock
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The War On Drugs bestography

A Deeper Understanding is ranked 2nd best out of 9 albums by The War On Drugs on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by The War On Drugs is Lost In The Dream which is ranked number 167 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 8,540.

The War On Drugs album bestography « Higher ranked (167th)
Lost In The Dream
This album (390th)
A Deeper Understanding
Lower ranked (1,282nd) »
I Don't Live Here Anymore

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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A Deeper Understanding track list

  Track ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 84 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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#
Track
Rating/Comments
3.
Track pick (880 - 188 votes)
Average Rating: 88 (188 votes)Comments: View 3
4.
Track pick (880 - 186 votes)
Average Rating: 88 (186 votes)Comments: View 2
7.
Track pick (900 - 210 votes)
Average Rating: 90 (210 votes)Comments: View 6

Track pick (1000 - 100 votes) Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

A Deeper Understanding rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 390th | 2010s rank: 50th | 2017 rank: 4th
Filter Filter
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YearSourceChartRankRank Score
2026adbrack1988Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s3/10020
2026 PurplepashYa joking? Should've been higher! 2010s edition80/100 -
2026jdizzle123456Top 100 Music Albums of 201719/1004
2026UntitledTop 19 Music Albums of 20177/193
2026adbrack1988Top 23 Music Albums of 20172/235
2026 rambleon80Greatest Music Albums #101 - 20024/100 -
2026 paladisiac2010s, #401-50070/100 -
2026 RasmVMost listened albums since I joined BEA8/100 -
2026 NowhereManTop 14 Music Albums of 20171/145
2026 RomanelliMy Overall Chart: 1601-170092/100 -
2026 flamingyesdeptTop 100 Music Albums of the 2010s41/10012
2026LittleM1971Top 100 Music Albums of 201795/1000
2026 dihansseTop 100 Music Albums of 20172/1005
2026 imacgillTop 100 Greatest Music Albums12/10088
2026matterhornriderTop 100 Music Albums of the 2010s61/1008
2026 imacgillTop 100 Music Albums of 20172/1005
2026fabm0Wanted Urgent65/70 -
2026arnellarsenTop 99 Music Albums of 201753/992
2026 covecoveTop 100 Music Albums of 201722/1004
2026 baystateoftheart2017 Honorable Mentions82/85 -
Total Charts: Help The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. 582
Total Rank Score: Help The total rank score. 4,265
You can include this album in your own chart from the My Charts page!

A Deeper Understanding collection

A Deeper Understanding ratings

Average Rating: 
81/100 (from 619 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album.  | Show all 619 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
90/100
 
04/11/2026 15:08 CatQueenCole  Ratings distribution  5291/100
 
75/100
 
04/08/2026 22:45 araidernomore  Ratings distribution  46170/100
 
75/100
 
03/23/2026 09:49 platus  Ratings distribution  5,85074/100
 
70/100
 
02/27/2026 22:49 DaveH68  Ratings distribution  1,36376/100
 
95/100
 
02/26/2026 15:01 Map  Ratings distribution  50781/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 1% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 80.9/100, a mean average of 80.0/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 81.0/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.1.

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A Deeper Understanding comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 51 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
85/100
From 07/03/2025 10:56 | #309868
My second album from this band . And for the second time i am impressed . Whoever said ``Good Rockmusic is dead `` or `` Only the Seventies had good bands ``..... well go to whereever you`re going , but go . Everybody else please enjoy ` The War on Drugs`.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 11/30/2022 01:15 | #291653
Each song has a melody or a riff or a sound or a lyric that grabs my attention. And then the rest of the song tends to fritter that attention away.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 01/02/2022 11:02 | #278364
Um misto de synthpop e heartland rock incrível!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 09/29/2021 12:35 | #274386
The best thing about this album is how the artist gives every song its own limelight and its own space to breathe. Every track is allowed to run its course and finish where it is supposed to finish. The run times are just perfect. It is on albums like these that you realise how amazing music can be when you allow it to be free. This is best displayed on Thinking Of A Place. Every song matches the same tone and atmosphere and it creates this mellow and chill vibe throughout. The lyrics are fantastic and well worth delving into as well. However, some cuts are a little weaker, they are still enjoyable but are closer to filler than the quality of the other tracks. Overall, a fantastic album from a very consistent artist.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 01/14/2021 12:07 | #264396
The best, an album following up a magnum opus, can hope for is to gain at least a small faction of listeners who would sincerely claim its the better album. And in that sense, A Deeper Understanding did all that and then some. My personal favourite and a timeless modern classic.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
50/100
From 12/09/2020 00:24 | #262316
Somehow sounds like a cross between Bryan Adams, Dire Straits, Bruce Springsteen and Don Henley. But without any of the biting lyricism that made some of them stand out. It all just kind of glides by inoffensively. Which is great if that's what you're into.

Also - is the song 'In Chains' meant to sound so much like 'Red Eyes' crossed with 'Under the Pressure'?
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 04/17/2020 23:33 | #250134
They actually topped their last album... Cannot believe it... Some songs still two years after hearing them are still growing like baby mushrooms into full grown beautiful pineapples. Thats a special and unique gift this album has to offer. It is literally impossible for them to improve even higher.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 04/10/2020 15:22 | #249752
Somewhere, maybe on someone's chart, I saw a comment saying that The War on Drugs is a band that appeals to the "bridge and tunnel crowd." I had to Google the phrase to find out what it means; apparently it's a term of condescension applied by New Yorkers to folks who commute into the city from New Jersey and elsewhere. The implication, I suppose, is that such people have gauche, unrefined musical tastes. Well, I live in Montana, and whatever it may say about me, I love The War on Drugs. A Deeper Understanding is an aptly titled album, as I think it far surpasses their previous albums (which I also liked) in consistency and emotional depth. I love the spaciousness of the production on this album, and I love the way these songs breathe. "Strangest Thing" is a slow burner that lumbers out the gate full of portent and, over the course of its eleven-minute runtime, expertly dials up the drama, with Wurlitzer organs and a wall of synths leading to a booming finale.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 03/29/2020 14:56 | #249263
ADU is my favorite War On Drugs album. It feels like a continuation of LITD, but with a more rough sound, somestimes saturated. And always the aerial vibes from the previous one. The band has had a great impact in my life. Can't wait for more.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 03/04/2020 15:06 | #248480
Beautiful sounds. "Holding On" is my absolute favorite. But there is no song, that is not exceptional well written. The whole album takes you on a journey, where you can travel in your head and feel whatever you want to feel. Very impressive song writing.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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