Work Drugs

Work Drugs is an American synth pop duo from Philadelphia, founded by Thomas Crystal and Benjamin Louisiana.[1] It currently consists of Crystal (vocals and guitar), alongside Louisiana (vocals and keys), Jonas Ohh (drums), Mr. Kansas City (bass), and Katie Nicks (vocals and percussion). It band has had LPs released via boutique label Bobby Cahn Records and toured on the festival circuit in the United States, including SXSW and CMJ, as well as national support slots for the likes of Two Door Cinema Club, Umphrey's McGee, Maps and Atlases, Battles, Peter, Bjorn & John, Sun Airway, Memoryhouse, Parts and Labor, J.Viewz, and more.

Work Drugs
Origin	Philadelphia, United States
Genres	Dream pop, new wave, synthpop, chillwave, electronic
Years active	2010–present
Labels	Bobby Cahn Records / State Capital Records
Website	workdrugs.wordpress.com
Members	Thomas Crystal Benjamin Louisiana

History

Work Drugs is a Philadelphia based recording project started by Thomas Crystal and Benjamin Louisiana on the banks of the Delaware River.[2]

Self-described as a band that "makes music specifically for boating, sexting, dancing, yachting, and living" or "Philadelphia's premier Bat Mitzvah and Quinceanera party band", Work Drugs' name was given by their friend Eduardo S. as they were sailing the Baja of Mexico.[3][2] Band members Tom and Ben bonded together in sailing school over music, which is when they started composing songs for their first album. Their music has been compared with that of Steely Dan by the Guardian website.[4]

Their earliest efforts arrived sporadically in the form of singles ("Third Wave", "Dog Daze" and "Rad Racer"). On June 27, 2011 the duo released their first album Summer Blood, which consisted of their first few singles and three acoustic recordings. Later that year they released their sophomore album Aurora Lies. The album, released on November 7, 2011, was the band's first release to bring a collection of entirely previously unreleased tracks. On July 10, 2012, Work Drugs resurfaced with their third album, Absolute Bearing.[5]

In August 2011, the song "Rad Racer" was featured in the Urban Outfitters commercial for "Favorite Fall Jeans of 2011".[6] In his 2011 album, Still Sound, Xxyyxx included a remixed version of "Rad Racer".

Work Drugs have played live shows across North America in cities such as Boston, New York City, Chicago and San Francisco. In April 2011, the group supported Northern Ireland-based indie rock band Two Door Cinema Club and Chicago indie rock band Maps & Atlases on a tour of the West Coast of the United States.[7]

In late 2011, Work Drugs supported Peter, Bjorn & John and Memoryhouse on their east coast tour through Philadelphia.

In February 2012, Work Drugs supported Umphrey's McGee on their east coast run through Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore.

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Details
2011	Summer Blood Released: 27 June 2011 Label: Self-released
2011	Aurora Lies Released: 7 November 2011 Label: Bobby Cahn Records
2011	Cayman Islands Sessions Released: 15 December 2011 Label: Bobby Cahn Records
2012	Absolute Bearing Released: 10 July 2012 Label: Bobby Cahn Records
2012	Delta Released: 5 December 2012 Label: Bobby Cahn Records
2013	Mavericks Released: 18 June 2013 Label: Bobby Cahn Records
2014	Insurgents[8] Released: 4 March 2014 Label: Bobby Cahn Records
2014	Runaways Released: 7 October 2014 Label: Bobby Cahn Records
2014	Cayman Islands Sessions,Vol.II Released: 2 décembre 2014 Label: Bobby Cahn Records
2015	Louisa Released: 7 August 2015 Label: Bobby Cahn Records
2016	Method Acting Released: 19 August 2016
2017	Flaunt The Imperfection Released: 11 August 2017
2018	Holding on to Forever Released: 17 September 2018
2019	Fantasy File Released: 30 August 2019

Extended Plays

Year	Details
2013	Amore EP Released: 14 February 2013 Label: Bobby Cahn Records
2018	Mixed Drinks EP Released: 5 March 2018
2018	Infinity Eyes EP Released: 27 March 2018
2018	Pacific Heart EP Released: 27 April 2018
2018	After Midnight EP Released: 20 June 2018
2018	Sunset Mornings EP Released: 8 August 2018

Remixes

• Little Scream – "The Heron and the Fox" (Work Drugs Remix) (2011 Secretly Canadian)
• Bon Iver - "Beth/Rest" (Work Drugs Remix) (2012 Jagjaguwar)

Singles

As a celebration of their first anniversary, Work Drugs released a collaborative single with Philly artist Dylan Sieh aka Tours called Dirty Dreams on 7 December 2011.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Dirty Dreams"	04:03

The track can be streamed here.

Track List: Summer Blood

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Curious Serge"	03:16
2.	"Rad Racer"	03:42
3.	"Golden Sombrero"	03:14
4.	"Sunset Junction"	03:18
5.	"Third Wave"	03:39
6.	"Dog Daze"	03:39
7.	"Summer Blood"	03:50
8.	"Third Wave (Cayman Islands Sessions)"	03:24
9.	"Rad Racer (Cayman Islands Sessions)"	03:36
10.	"Sunset Junction (Cayman Islands Sessions)"	02:48

All tracks can be streamed from here.

Track List: Aurora Lies

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Flying Zambo"	03:49
2.	"Blue Steel"	03:39
3.	"Swimmer Girl"	03:15
4.	"Patty (Smile)"	03:43
5.	"Daddy Bear"	03:43
6.	"Ice Wharf"	03:14
7.	"Aurora Lies"	03:13
8.	"Catalina Wine Mixer"	03:14
9.	"Physical Acts"	03:18

All tracks can be streamed from here.

Track List: Cayman Islands Sessions

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Third Wave (Cayman Islands Sessions)"	03:23
2.	"Curious Serge (Cayman Islands Sessions)"	02:53
3.	"Rad Racer (Cayman Islands Sessions)"	03:36
4.	"Ice Wharf (Cayman Islands Sessions)"	03:58
5.	"Sunset Junction (Cayman Islands Sessions)"	02:48
6.	"Physical Acts (Cayman Islands Sessions)"	03:40
7.	"Dog Daze (Cayman Islands Sessions)"	03:27
8.	"Prime Meridian (Cayman Islands Sessions)"	03:11

All tracks can be streamed from here.

Track List: Absolute Bearing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Perfect Storm"	03:48
2.	"License To Drive"	03:38
3.	"Pluto"	04:04
4.	"Boogie Lights"	04:43
5.	"Absolute Bearing"	02:57
6.	"Council Bluffs"	04:34
7.	"Coral Gables"	03:54
8.	"Lisbon Teeth"	03:19
9.	"The Art of Progress"	04:41
10.	"Tourist Heart"	05:35

All tracks can be streamed from here.

Track List: Delta

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Third Wave"	03:40
2.	"Rad Racer"	03:43
3.	"Pluto"	04:06
4.	"Ice Wharf"	03:16
5.	"Blue Steel"	03:41
6.	"Cursive Ground"	03:34
7.	"Dirty Dreams"	04:06
8.	"License to Drive"	03:40
9.	"Art of Progress"	04:41
10.	"Boogie Lights"	04:46
11.	"Delta"	03:56

All tracks can be streamed from here.

Track List: Mavericks

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Young Lungs"	04:00
2.	"West Coast Slide"	04:04
3.	"Sunset on High Street"	03:50
4.	"A Measure of Life"	03:04
5.	"Last Flight"	04:06
6.	"Payola (Number Games)"	03:49
7.	"For James"	03:15
8.	"Trifecta"	03:54
9.	"Tigerbeats"	04:07
10.	"Mavericks"	05:11

All tracks can be streamed from here.

Track List: Insurgents

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Insurgents"	03:51
2.	"Time"	03:20
3.	"Heaven or Farewell"	03:00
4.	"Half Love"	03:57
5.	"The Good in Goodbye"	03:00
6.	"Chemical Burns"	03:52
7.	"Modern Living"	03:22
8.	"Jackie Kennedy"	03:17
9.	"Digital Girl"	03:31
10.	"Zeros and Ones"	03:58

All tracks can be streamed from here.

Track List: Runaways

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Runaways"	03:26
2.	"Free To Roam"	03:35
3.	"Double Life"	03:10
4.	"Lost Weekend"	03:47
5.	"The Moment"	03:37
6.	"Heatwave"	03:36
7.	"Predictable Miracles"	03:56
8.	"Fragile Creatures"	03:21
9.	"Saved By The Bell"	03:33
10.	"Man Of War"	03:42
11.	"Temporary Life Lines"	02:58
12.	"Show And Tell"	02:28

All tracks can be streamed from here.

Music videos

Year	Title	Director(s)
	"Pluto"	Thomas Crystal
	"Swimmer Girl"	Cai California
	"Rad Racer"	Thomas Crystal

References

1. Lester, Paul (14 November 2011). "Guardian Band of the Day: Work Drugs". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2012-07-16.
2. "Work Drugs | Fashion Magazine | News. Fashion. Beauty. Music. | oystermag.com". OYSTER. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
3. G, David (2010-12-15). "Talknarc: Interview with Philly's Work Drugs". Noise Narcs: A Philadelphia-Based Music Blog. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
4. Lester, Paul (14 November 2011). "Work Drugs (No 1,148)". The Guardian. London.
5. "Work Drugs: Absolute Bearing". Inyourspeakers Media. 2015-08-07. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
6. Urban, Joe. "Urban Outfitters' Favorite Fall Jeans of 2011". Retrieved 2011-08-03.
7. Winnie, Cooper. "Work Drugs". Retrieved 2012-07-10.
8. "New Work Drugs Album 2014". Indie Shuffle. Retrieved 2014-05-03.

External links

• Official Website