In their first studio album since the death of their drummer, Taylor Hawkins, the Foo Fighters have released a new album called But Here We Are.
They haven’t been the only band that had to go on without a member, though; AC/DC, Alice in Chains, and Sublime all had to find a musician to fill the spot of their lost bandmate.
This is their 11th studio album and a follow-up to Medicine at Midnight, their 10th studio album.
Shortly after its release, Josh Freesh was announced as the new drummer of the band and has been touring with them since. Josh Freesh is a former Guns n’ Roses member and used to perform live with bands such as Weezer, Nine Inch Nails, and Sublime With Rome.
But Here We Are has been in the works since 2021 but came to a halt after Hawkins’ death in 2022. It was released on June 2. On the inner sleeve of the album, it states that this album is dedicated to Hawkins and the frontman’s late mother.
In “Show me How,” a song on the album specifically attributed to Dave Ghrol’s late mother, Violet Grohl, Ghrol’s daughter, sings a duet with him.
The frontman said at Outside Lands in San Francisco on Aug. 12, “On our new record, there is a song when she and I duet together. And we wrote it for my mother, her grandmother. So this is something very special for the two of us.”
For their overall production, Rain Doherty-Albright ’25 stated “They’re not afraid to make music different from the typical rock sound. They dip a little into each rock subcategory.”
According to Spotify’s statistics, the top 3 songs from the new album are “Rescued,” ranking 55th most popular out of all of Foo Fighters songs; “Under You,” which is 71st; and “Show Me How,” ranked 102nd.
Ashley Villing ’25 commented, “My favorite song on the new album would probably be ‘Under You’ since the instruments and lyrics go so well together.”
She added, “Foo Fighters always do a good job of captivating their audience and I’m glad that they’re still putting out creative work despite the loss of their drummer, Taylor Hawkins.” Kai Murguz ’25
