On Friday, the Foo Fighters released their 12th full length LP, and first in almost three years, Your Favorite Toy. Early reviews indicated this is the best the iconic American rockers have sounded in more than a decade. And as a fan of the band for almost 30 years, I’m here to tell you that this is very much the case. With a heavy lean towards the sounds that established them over 30 years ago, and the bands that influenced them, Your Favorite Toy will not disappoint fans.
Lyrically, the introspection that we heard in 2023’s But Here We Are continues in Your Favorite Toy, a record which unavoidably sat heavy in the shadows in the passing of Drummer Taylor Hawkins. None of this will surprise anyone who has been paying attention to the life and times of frontman Dave Grohl, a man actively in therapy as he grapples with the consequences of his own decisions. But the themes aren’t necessarily as on the nose as in their previous record. Which of course is deliberate.
Grohl is telling us as much in “If You Only Knew”, as he seems to recount what has been said about him in the last 18 months. It’s something along the lines of: Just because you don’t know the whole story, doesn’t mean you should. But trust me, you’d get it.
“Child Actor” heralds back to the themes of fame we remember fondly from 1997’s “Stacked Actors”. Though this time it’s Grohl himself who sits under the microscope. A number of ghosts linger in “Of All People”, as Grohl grapples with the bitterness of a heroin dealer’s survival. And there’s more frustration of self heard in the song’s title track – a stand out on the record.
But musically, the album sits closer to their 1995 self-titled debut or 1997’s The Color and the Shape. And that’s not just because of the difficulty us non-American writers have leaving a “u” out of the titles. The album was self-produced, with a purposeful DIY feel to it. They sound like a band that just wants to jam together, without much worry for the end product. It’s as close to a rebirth as you could have for a band who’s been around this long.
And maybe I’m reading into this a little too much here, but the intent seems implicit from the first lyric of the opening track, “Caught In The Echo”, with Dave howling “This Is Just A Test”, which feels like a call back (no pun intended) to the band’s first single, “This Is A Call”. But lyrical interpretations aside, there’s no question they have made this one for the fans who have stuck with them for more than 30 years. And the result is their heaviest album since 2011’s brilliant Wasting Light.
At 36 minutes across 10 tracks, the album doesn’t have an ounce of fat on it. It also barely lets Grohl take a breath, taking its influence (and ethos) as much from Dave and guitarist Pat Smears‘ punkier formative years in Scream and The Germs as much as the earlier Foo material. And like those early days – and even as we experienced with Wasting Light to some extent (see “White Limo”, of which “Spit Shine” also channels Grohl’s inner Lemmy) – there’s a lack of polish to the production that I for one am here for.
The downside of this, however, is that the band’s five other members aren’t given many moments to shine. “Window” is one of the only tracks where different guitars can clearly be heard, with some great melodies layered in. While I’m glad to hear a sound that takes us back to the band’s early days, I still appreciate the moments where the full musical pedigree of the band’s members are on display.
Former NIN drummer Ilan Rubin (the youngest Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee in its history) does add his influence to his first contribution to a Foo Fighters record, however. His pulsating rhythm adds some particular sparkle, and he’s given the odd moment to shine, such as in the final moments of “If You Only Knew”.
After a long run of albums and projects that explored different concepts and sounds – be it the experimental Sonic Highways album, or their move to acoustic with In Your Honor and Skin and Bones – there isn’t a fan of the Foos that wasn’t ready for them to take us back to some of the sounds that made us fall in love with them in the first place. It was time. And now Your Favorite Toy feels destined sit as one of the iconic Foo Fighters records, and certainly their best since Wasting Light.
Put it on repeat, play it loud, and we’ll see you at the show.
Speaking of the live show, with the band having never undertaken their planned 2020 “Van Tour”, which promised a look back at some of their earliest material as they returned to the cities from their debut tour, I’m hoping the tone of this album may lead to a similar approach this time around. Live, this album will sit comfortably alongside the bands best material across the decades. And while setlists at recent tours have lent towards a more “hits across the years” approach, I for one am hoping they play a whole bunch of this new album live, and some of the gems from the early years. So Foos, let THIS be a call: give us the new music alongside the old!
FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Your Favorite Toy is out now. Listen to it HERE.
Foo Fighters are undertaking a North American tour with Queens of the Stone Age this Summer. Details are HERE. They’ll then tour Australia and New Zealand at the end of the year through our Summer with 16 local acts in support. Those dates and details are HERE.
