Foo Fighters - But Here We Are - The Singles, Reviewed

Foo Fighters - But Here We Are - The Singles, Reviewed

Foo Fighters were one of my first loves in music. For a seven year old, I thought their tracks were the heaviest things on the planet at the time, and I’ll always hold the hits off seminal albums like ‘The Colour And The Shape’ and ‘There Is Nothing Left To Lose’ in very high regard, as they could be said to at least partially ignite my passion for music. Despite that though, for whatever reason, I never really kept up with their output too closely despite the seismic effect the hits had on me. However, like everyone, I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins, and was obviously unsure if they’d continue. So with the announcement of a new album called ‘But Here We Are’ set for release on June 2nd, I knew I owed it to them to give this one a proper go.

Rescued

This for my money does a pretty good job of being a Foo Fighters comeback single, while also paying ample respect to the contexts surrounding its creation. The melancholic guitar lines in the instrumental sound very nice, both in their lighter melodic forms in the verses, and the sweeping power chords on the chorus. Admittedly it would be nice to hear a bit more bass in the mix, but it does sound great to me regardless, despite a slightly bricked out mix. I also think that Dave does a very good job on drums, giving the track a nice sense of momentum and almost danceability at points, acting as a nice counterpoint to the sadness the track purveys. His vocal performance is classic Foo Fighters all over: melodic, gravelly, but also with a palpable sadness that he puts across very well. This same sadness of course is seen in the lyrics discussing the confusing and disorienting nature of grief in a very tactful, human way, for which I give them huge credit. While I may have a few gripes with this track on the sonic side of things, musically, vocally, and lyrically, I reckon this is a pretty bloody good comeback track. Well done guys.

Under You

While I’m not the biggest fan of the wah-wah guitar leads on the chorus, this song is really good for more or less the same reasons the last track was. Again, a more nuanced mix might be nice, but the instrumentation sounds great. The bright, anthemic, gargantuan guitar lines, which at the same time offer up some great melodies on the chorus and post chorus, the tight, motoring drumming, all accounted for. Even the guitar solo is pretty good, and the subtle synth flourishes are decent too. As well as Dave offering up yet another classically brilliant vocal performance, with some particularly enjoyable harmonies on the verses, as well as an anthemic chorus, lyrically he delivers yet another greatly nuanced lament of grief. Like all of us with the passing of a loved one, you can feel like eventually you start to adjust, but sometimes that’s also very difficult given the time you spent together, and it’s at times like that where memories are very important. This is a sentiment that Dave puts across very well. No needlessly convoluted metaphors, just straight to the point, but then again it’s not blunt and clumsy either, he really finds that sweet spot. So it feels like the band looked at the last song and thought “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” That’s not to say they feel like carbon copies, but again that they’re great for many similar reasons.

Show Me How

This track is a combination of things that aesthetically I should love, but I’m not entirely sure of. For instance, this track was said to be like a cross between MBV and Cocteau Twins and I can certainly get with that. I really like the clean, psychedelic guitars, the additional more distorted lead passages on the choruses, and I love the snappy, funky drum beat Grohl plays throughout. It does dreamy shoegaze pop very well, so mission accomplished. On a vocal front, I think Dave shifts between tender crooning in the verses and power ballad like melodies on the chorus pretty well, and him duetting with his daughter Violet is very cool, as she shows herself to be a very competent vocalist with a bright, airy tone that compliments her father’s very well. Lyrically it’s yet another touching ode, this time dealing with the loss of Dave’s mother, and with it, the loss of a guiding light to help you through the hard times. Yet again a sentiment relayed in a very touching way, made all the more powerful by the generational duetting. So, what could my problem be? Well, perhaps it’s my lack of familiarity with their recent output, but it just feels a tad too reserved, a bit too obviously power ballad-like maybe? Normally, even on these sorts of tracks you normally hear Dave really letting the emotion shine through in his gruffer register, but here it’s just very hushed and sounds a little odd and pillowy to me. Don’t get me wrong, given the cross section of influences a change of tact makes sense, and the changes made are sensical definitely, it just seems slightly strange to me is all. I do have other minor gripes, like maybe wishing the song structure was a little tighter, or the bass more audible, but they are minor things. Overall though, the ideas at the centre of this track are great, and pretty well executed too, but despite that, its sonic approach still sits a little weird with me in the context of it being a Foo Fighters track.

So, while I may be being a little presumptuous, based on the quality of these three singles, I imagine that when release day rolls around, not only will we likely have a pretty good Foo Fighters album on our hands, but also a fitting tribute, amongst others, to one of the best loved rock musicians of the 21st century.