Foo Fighters release new single, ‘Rescued’

By Sarah Bond buzz Editor

On April 19, American rock band Foo Fighters released “Rescued,” their first single since drummer Taylor Hawkins died in 2022. The band also announced that their eleventh album, “But Here We Are,” will be released on June 2.

Foo Fighters have many mainstream hits like “Everlong,” “The Pretender” and “Best of You,” each of which has over 500 million streams on Spotify.

Foo Fighters began in 1994 as a solo project of lead singer and guitarist Dave Grohl. Grohl played drums for Nirvana, but Nirvana disbanded in 1994 after the death of frontman Kurt Cobain.

Grohl found a long-term Foo Fighters lineup of guitarist Chris Shifflett, bassist Nate Mendel and drummer Taylor Hawkins. Guitarist Pat Smear — who was also in Nirvana — was in Foo Fighters from 1995-97, then returned in 2005.

Foo Fighters first achieved mainstream success with the track “Learn

To Fly.” It peaked at No. 19 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The band has won 15 Grammys total, making it one of the most accomplished rock bands in recent history.

“Rescued” starts out as many Foo Fighters songs do: with guitar. Gentle strumming of an electric guitar leads into Grohl’s vocals. Drums and a second heavier guitar track enter and the energy of the track begins to build.

The opening lyrics — “It came in a flash/ it came outta nowhere/ it happened so fast/ and then it was over” — most likely refer to the sudden death of Hawkins.

The song’s pre-chorus continues to build energy, until the sound pulls back for a moment and Grohl’s vocals become prominent: “We’re all free to some degree to dance under the lights.”

The song picks up again with quick guitar strums, and the other instruments return as Grohl launches into the catchy refrain. A guitar doubles some of Grohl’s notes, creating a full and rich melody.

The song continues for another verse and refrain, then introduces a post-cho - rus with louder guitars and quick percussion. The sound pulls back again for the quiet first line of the refrain, and it hits hard because of the wall of sound that came right before it. sbond21@dailyillini.com

After four minutes of energy and a spectacular final refrain and instrumental, a guitar powerfully strums the final chord. The chord resonates while another guitar quietly plucks strings. Feedback grows louder, then quieter, as the song fades into silence.

“Rescued” is a pleasant mix between guitar-led instrumentals and Grohl’s gruff vocals. The drums perfectly pace the song, cutting out at quieter moments and building and driving the song in energetic moments. The song is a strong and powerful first release since the death of Hawkins and shows that Foo Fighters are far from ending their musical career.