REVIEW: Foo Fighters' "But Here We Are" via Roswell
It’s been fifteen months since the passing of musician Taylor Hawkins and in that year his bandmates in Foo Fighters have been very clear about how hard it is to carry on without him. Yet carry on they have with this new record, But Here We Are, which follows up 2021’s Medicine at Midnight. I personally enjoyed Medicine quite a bit at first but found that it kind of showed some fatigue in the band’s songwriting ability over time, which I think they would agree with as what really followed that record was two side projects covering the disco and thrash metal genres. But now we return to form and what a return to form it is. Right away from lead single “Rescued” we see classic Foo in the way they shine.
“Rescued” itself is, as I said, a classic Foo Fighters track, made for radio, with a big chorus ready. Not that I think Dave Grohl is the most profound lyricist in the world but one of the first points I want to make is that trans-supportive lyric;
Kings and queens and in-betweens we all deserve the right
Now, I’ll say it out of the gate; “in-betweens” yes, is something only a cishet man in his fifties would think is hip to say. But to be honest it’s clearly well meaning and it sparks a conversation. If it’s one thing conservatives hate it's their favorite punk rock guys standing with the people they want dead. Add that on top of the fact that I, a trans woman who grew up listening to this band because they’re my mom’s favorite, get to hear this line both for myself and that parent. It's something I’m really grateful to Dave for. That isn’t the only lyrical highlight, however, like I really have to admire the layered metaphors on “Under You” and the pain on “Hearing Voices.”
Someday I’ll come out from under you
One thing I have to give as a point against this record is that I feel like a lot of parts were good ideas in the studio but didn’t need to be stretched in the way they are. Do I think hooks on songs like “Hearing Voices” and “The Glass” are good? Yes. Do I think they need to be repeated all over the track for roughly sixty-percent of its run time? No. A good example of this is “The Teacher,” the nearly eleven minute, final single off the record. This thing has barely any lyrics and nearly none of them are leaving an imprint on me. However, sonically? This thing is both a highlight and a feat. As Foo Fighters presents this prog-inspired journey that amps up in intensity as it goes by. It gets louder, more technical, before grinding to what eventually becomes just a screaming halt.
The song “Show Me How” might be my favorite here. This is pain, its art, it has stunning and melodramatic balladry with a stunning feature from Dave’s daughter Violet. Who, I might add, might have my favorite moment on the record as well in that pre-chorus. The song “Rest” is another key moment on the whole thing and may just be the moment here. Nobody needs to be a great lyricist when you can write an instrumental that cuts this deep, makes me feel the hurt that the composer is trying to convey. That’s a skill a lot of musicians just flat out overlook.
At the end of the day, Foo Fighters fans don’t need a great record and most don’t care if it ends up great or not. A lot of what fans of stadium rock are looking for is another setlist staple or two to hear and sing along to when they see the band at their favorite sports arena. Most of those are singles but for fans who do venture deeper they also have things like that title track to latch onto. I’m not saying any of this is a bad thing if that’s the kind of fan you are, I’m more so just making the point as a precursor to the fact that I don’t think that’s what’s done here. Ultimately no matter how you feel about Foo Fighters in 2023 they are touring off their legacy, but they aren’t writing off of it. There is care put into this album, there’s attention to detail and overall I just feel like the boys are proud of this one, both as an entry in their growing discography and as a memorial piece about their fallen brother.
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