On 25th March 2022, the musical world stood still as we mourned the loss of one of the greatest drummers of the modern era.

The entire fanbase collectively held its breath as we waited for the future of The Foo Fighters. Many expected the band to fade away as was their right. But there were some who knew this wasn’t the end and the band confirmed it with an Instagram post at the end of 2022. Rising from the ashes of unimaginable loss, the Foo Fighters are back with But Here We Are. An album that not only explores grief for Taylor Hawkins but that of Dave’s mother Virginia Grohl who sadly passed five months after Taylor. Two relationships that Dave held most dear in his life are now laid bare and these ten songs are some of the bands most personal to date. 

I’ve been a bit nervous to listen to this album as I know how it’s going to make me feel as I’ve  navigated my way through grief twice in my life. Loss isn’t something you can just get over. It’s all consuming and can devour in an instant. Many of us who experience loss often find it difficult to move forward and process, potentially due to an inability to truly express how we feel. Dave Grohl and his fighters of foo find a way to push forward, learn to embrace the pain and mould it into an album, a collection of music so raw and powerful, it gives fans a rare insight into how the band survived through the turmoil and allowed us to truly grieve alongside them.

Rescued opens the album and it’s instantly bittersweet. The band sounds so formidable but you’re instantly reminded the man leading from behind the kit isn’t there anymore. Rescued offers some hope, however. The band sound the strongest they’ve been since their release of Wasting Light. As the album continues, it ebbs and flows through the truly poignant Under You, a grief stricken track that serves a reminder of how close Taylor and Dave really were; brothers until the end. During the first half of the album, you can hear echoes of previous bodies of work all throughout where Dave has taken inspiration and often comfort. There are no gimmicks this time around; this is an album all about family, as highlighted with Show Me How. Dave’s daughter Violet offers a sweet reminder to her father “I’ll take care of everything now”.

But Here We Are features Foo Fighters longest track to date, The Teacher. This epic track, a tribute to Dave’s late mother, is undoubtedly the crescendo of the album, a point in which the band have said nearly everything they wanted to in the last nine tracks. The band have let us know they’ve struggled these past eighteen months but are here to stay for as long as time permits them to; they’re not ready to go out with a bang just yet. With all that emotion bubbling over for forty mins, the album relaxes into Rest. It’s hard to say who Dave is singing to here but part of me believes he needed this track for himself. Life has been hard on him recently and it’s his way of allowing himself to find peace.

The Foo Fighters have given us quite a journey over nearly thirty years. They’ve given us reasons to sing, to cheer, to scream and most of all, a reason to dance. It’s safe to say, they’ve given us everything we’ve ever needed of them. Now, they need us. They need you to sing as loud as you ever have before, to cheer always, to scream until your lungs give out and dance your ass off. Do it for the band, do it because you love them and most of all, do it for Taylor. You owe him that much.

Review Sean Mackey