Sophie Johnson

The Foo Fighters have released their 11th studio album, But Here We Are. This album is the first since 2005 to credit Dave Grohl as drumming on each track, after the unfortunate passing of their bandmate Taylor Hawkins. 

“There are whispers of making an insane prog-rock record”

The Foo Fighters have made it clear that, for them, each album comes as a follow-up to the one prior. So, when Grohl stated in an interview with Rolling Stone that “there are whispers of making an insane prog-rock record”, many fans were eager to see the direction the band would take after the release of their album, Medicine at Midnight. 

The Sound

“Channeling the naivete of Foo Fighters’ 1995 debut”

Melodically speaking, this album features a sound not dissimilar to their older releases. Many of these songs are reminiscent of their late 90s/early 2000s sound.

Grohl told Kerrang: “But Here We Are is in nearly equal measure the 11th Foo Fighters album and the first chapter of the band’s new life. Sonically channelling the naivete of Foo Fighters’ 1995 debut, informed by decades of maturity and depth.”

Each song on the album has its own influences which Grohl has managed to blend together to create something unique. For example, some people have compared the track ‘Hearing Voices‘ to Kurt Cobain’s vocal style, combined with Cure-esque lyrics.

However, I would say the most structurally complex song on this release is ‘The Teacher‘. It’s an impressive 10-minute track split into two parts. The ending of this track arrives with a repeated shouting of “goodbye” alongside strong distortion, leading the way into the album’s final – slightly calmer – song.

Personally, my favourite was the first track, ‘Rescued‘. This song was also the first single released in the run-up to the album and was well-received – a top-ten hit on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart. It reminded me of their 1997 hit ‘Everlong‘, with excellent guitars but sentimental and well-written lyrics. Grohl provided the emotional vocals which really set the tone for the rest of the album.

Themes and Reception

Before the album’s release, fans enjoyed four singles. Notably ‘Show Me How‘ which features Grohl harmonising with his daughter, Violet. The lyrics reference the loss of a loved one, keeping in theme with the rest of the album, but has more of a dream-pop feel than the other songs.

Critics have praised this album for its emotional content, dealing with rage and sorrow, then leading to serenity and acceptance. In 2022, Grohl lost both his drummer, Taylor Hawkins, and his mother, Virginia. Therefore, this album explores how the band have had to come to terms with grief.

Some fans have speculated that the charged track ‘Under You‘ will go down as being one of the band’s greatest hits. Grohl sings about the loss of the person he loved, Hawkins, in a way that feels like a memorial fitting for a crowd-pleasing drummer, as opposed to a lament of grief.

“One of the strongest albums of the band’s career”

Spin described the release as “one of the strongest albums of the band’s career”, and Kerrang! praised the “mesmeric lyrical and musical qualities” of the album. But Here We Are success did not stop there. The album debuted at number one on the UK Album Chart after a battle with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. The album sold 44,500 chart units in its first week, making it Foo Fighters’ 6th UK number-one album.

 

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Featured image courtesy of Diego Mora Barrantes on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.

Soph is a 20-year-old student at Sheffield Hallam University, a self-proclaimed musicophile, and a sort-of polyglot. She is also an avid lover of film photography, movies, and books.

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