But Here We Are by Foo Fighters

Review written by PhoePhoe

I’ve always been into alternative rock so I wanted to give Foo Fighters a shot. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to finally look into the band my friends constantly pester me about. Usually I’m a fan of alternative rock, slow rock, metal, basically anything that involves rock, though I like to be experimental at times. So I was super stoked to find out that Foo Fighters fall into those categories. I’m not sure what I was expecting before listening, but I knew I was pumped about loving this unfamiliar band.

Admittedly, when I began to listen to the first song of their most recent album, But Here We Are, I was picturing it playing in the beginning of an iconic 90’s / 2000’s high school film. Maybe because it’s the type of rock you’d normally hear in movies like that. I’d imagine it would also fit perfectly into the beginning of a mysterious film. These songs are great film material; there’s so much potential in them being used for a movie.

Now to get a closer look at the lyrics itself. Throughout the album, I noticed there’s a theme revolving around the ideas of being young, grief, and probably more that I might have missed. In order for me to get that message, however, I did have to wait for the songs to begin to sound more sorrowful – there’s a drastic change in instruments, the amount of emotion put into the vocals, and the overall vibe of the song. The last song of the album, “Rest,” portrays that feeling very well; while the rest of the songs convey the emotion that they’re going for, I’d say “Rest” was noticeably the strongest. This is very likely because Foo Fighters wanted to finish off this album in a way that would leave a lasting impact on listeners. Successfully done, though it unfortunately didn’t change the fact that I found the rest of the songs not as interesting, in terms of the sound of the album, instruments, and emotions.

Do I like the overall sound of their music? Not so much. The album only really started to gain my attention when reaching its conclusion, which was understandably disappointing for me. In the end, the final song was the only one that struck me. I really wish they could’ve added more of those elements to the other songs, which just felt more like repetitive filler to me. I feel like there needs to be more variation, and with that it would definitely be an album I’d listen to occasionally.

Their last album, Medicine at Midnight, has a much more different approach around the theme of overcoming personal struggles. A dance party vibe was consistent throughout that entire album while contrasting the sometimes heavy lyrical content. But Here We Are, on the other hand, makes sure that the rhythms and vocals fit with the sorrowful message unlike that one. There’s a huge difference between the two and you really start to notice that once you pay close attention to their usage of musical lyrics and general tone. I will say that I did enjoy Medicine at Midnight more than But Here We Are, simply because I don’t often go for music like this, even if it still falls under the category of rock.

Despite what i think about But Here We Are, it’s still a success. Loyal listeners responded very well to the release of the album, as did new listeners! It just wasn’t for me after all. While I did listen to some of their older amazing songs, this one just didn’t hit me the same. Is this album something I’d listen to in my own free time? Probably not! As much as Foo Fighters seem to have put a ton of effort into this album, I would need to be feeling a bit ambiguous if I wanted to listen to them. This may just be a case where the older music is better than the newer. A lot of the time, iconic older bands will try to keep themselves relevant by continually pumping out more songs to the point where the spark is no longer there. Regardless, I will continue listening to them! Just not this album. It’s a decent album that was beautifully orchestrated, and I love the deep meaning behind it, but in the end it just wasn’t my style.