This was always going to be a difficult record both to record and even to listen to. An album which takes aims and lands squarely in the feels. But Here We Are has landed just a year after the sudden passing of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins and the scars of that loss on Foos mainman Dave Grohl aren’t just clear to see, and hear, they are front and centre and dominate a handful of the tracks.
“I think I’m getting over it/But there’s no getting over it,” Grohl admits on Under You, before he continues: “Someone said I’ll never see your face again/ Part of me just can’t believe it’s true.”
The scars of grief remain evident in Hearing Voices as Grohl says: “I’ve been hearing voices/I’ve been hearing voices now/I’ve been hearing voices/None of them are you.”
It’s not a gloomy album by any means though and it’s packed with the kind of stadium anthems the band have built their reputation on. Newly released single Rescued and the title track But Here We Are are two of the staple style Foos bangers that will please anyone with a foot to stomp, a fist to raise and and a head to bang back and forth.
Over the past 25 years, Foo Fighters have evolved from Grohl’s personal musical therapy and fledgling solo rock project in the wake of Nirvana, to become one of the genre’s undisputed musical giants.
Their back catalogue is packed with some of rock’s most beloved anthems, but in recent years their albums haven’t hit the heights of their early output – until now. Here We Are Now is a return to peak rock n’ roll form for the Foos, who have channelled their obvious grief and sadness into 10-tracks of blistering musical mastery, part sorrow, part joy, part acceptance and a whole lot of epic riffs, layered with epic choruses and thundering drums.
Under You is our favourite track on the record, with its obvious nod to the tragic Hawkins. The song itself ranges from brooding guitars to melodic vocals, but never releasing its iron grip on its message to their gone, but never forgotten, band brother.
Grohl’s daughter Violet lends her considerable vocal pipes to Show Me How, while the epic The Teacher is a ten-minute long journey more than just a song. It grows and grows until it peaks with a cascade of sound washing over the listener.
The album ends with Rest, as Grohl signs off on an emotional record with the lyrics “Rest, you can rest now/ Rest, you will be safe now.”
But Here We Are is produced by Greg Kurstin and Foo Fighters, and this, their 11th studio album, is the first chapter of the band’s new life.
Sonically channelling the naiveté of Foo Fighters’ 1995 debut, informed by decades of maturity and depth, But Here We Are is the sound of brothers finding refuge in the music that brought them together in the first place 28 years ago, a process that was as therapeutic as it was about a continuation of life.
8/10
Standout Tracks: Under You, Rest, The Glass
For Fans Of: Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Biffy Clyro
Written by: Eric Mackinnon
