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Is 'But Here We Are' The Best Foo Fighters Album In Decades? Here's What The Reviews Say
It's quite bittersweet to read the reviews for the new Foo Fighters album "But Here We Are," which released on June 2, 2023. The Foo Fighters band was born after a tragedy in drummer Dave Grohl's life, and the 54-year-old musician once again faced tragedy last year when the Foo's longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins passed away in March 2022.
Hawkins's death was also succeeded by more personal loss for Grohl, whose mother passed away a few months later, and this is the first time in a while that he's back on the drum set making new Foo Fighters music. Heavily inspired by the grief that surrounded him, "But Here We Are" is getting rave reviews. Here's what critics have said.
The album backstory
Work is how Dave Grohl processes any major life change, so it should come as no surprise that "But Here We Are" arrived a little over a year after the unexpected death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins in 2022. Back in 1994, the former Nirvana drummer created the first Foo Fighters album while he was mourning the death of Kurt Cobain, the first move in a career comprised of constant motion. Grief wasn't central to 1995's "Foo Fighters." That's not the case on But Here We Are. Loss and sorrow flow through the album's imagery, culminating in the cascading closer "Rest," whose refrain of "you can rest now/you will be safe now" is easy to interpret as a message to Hawkins. Grohl doesn't dwell in the darkness; he faces his bereavement directly, with as clear an eye as he can muster. The candor in the lyrics is matched by the immediacy of the music.
The death of Taylor Hawkins was a shock. The ebullient drummer was snatched away in 2022 — too young, too talented — leaving fans, family and friends to deal with the aftermath. A year on, his band Foo Fighters have channeled all that grief into a record that serves as a conduit to catharsis. Melding heartache with defiance, "But Here We Are" addresses the loss of Hawkins, as well as the death of frontman Dave Grohl's mother, Virginia. It's their best album in years.
Dave Grohl does double duty, again
In that respect, it's somewhat pointless to compare the Greg Kurstin-produced "But Here We Are" to any other Foos album besides the debut, since both were written in the shadows of profound, unthinkable loss. And while filtering every turn of phrase here through that prism may render the album an impossibly heavy listen (especially for hardcore fans), Grohl (back on drums for the first time on a Foos record since 2005's "In Your Honor"), bassist Nate Mendel, guitarists Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear, and keyboardist Rami Jaffee have imbued "But Here We Are" with new levels of depth, maturity, songcraft and storytelling, ensuring it is far more than just an album about grief.
The lyrics
The one phrase that sticks with me the most owes to a tossed-off conjunction. Grohl sings: "I gave you my heart, but here we are," which feels less accurate than if he sang, "I gave you my heart, and here we are." It's a more honest assessment of how this album is meant to be received — one man's outpouring of grief, shared at the same altar as their triumphs.
The song sets the tone perfectly for its parent album: a record freighted with disorientation and trauma. By now, fans have long since been transfixed by Dave's poignant tribute to Taylor Hawkins, singing "Pictures of us sharing songs and cigarettes, this is how I'll always picture you," on "Under You." Yet this is one of many eloquent, candid lines that capture the shifting rhythms of his grief. "Take Nothing At All," which sees him musing "I'll get by or maybe I won't" before ultimately concluding that it's "everything or nothing at all" as the song erupts behind him. "Beyond Me," meanwhile, is a gorgeous slow-burn power ballad. "You must release what you hold dear, or so I fear" he reflects — the confession of a wise man at pains to embrace his own wisdom. If it is not yet clear, rest assured: this is not an easy listen.
This is their best work in years
That it works rather than feeling odd or jarring may be down to the fact that "But Here We Are" does what Foo Fighters do noticeably better than immediate predecessors. Their recent albums have been marked by a creeping sense of obligation, of a band making records that would fill the gaps between the old hits tolerably enough, enabling them to continue touring without fully embracing the heritage rock label. This time, however, the tunes are noticeably more polished, the dynamic shifts punchier: it's as if the desire to express something about Hawkins, or to make an album that stands as a worthy memorial has given them a fresh sense of purpose and momentum.
TL;DR
It's a bit of cruel irony that in the face of so much adversity, the band has somehow managed to helm their most creative and compelling album in over 20 years.
The band's first album since the death of its drummer Taylor Hawkins is explosive, emotional and inspired.
The Foo Fighters find purpose in tragedy [as they] grieve their drummer Taylor Hawkins.
"But Here We Are" is a beautiful, noisy celebration of brotherhood and a stark, painful exploration of loss. It is messy, gut-wrenching, ambitious and gorgeous, as the remaining members of Foo Fighters push themselves to their limits and beyond.
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