Foo Fighters have released their first brand new music after a difficult period for the band during which frontman Dave Grohl announced he had fathered a child outside his marriage, and drummer Josh Freese was let go from the group.
Today’s Song, which features artwork by Grohl’s daughter Harper, is a typically anthemic Foo Fighters track with Grohl full of existential angst: “I woke today screaming for change / I knew that I must / So, here lies a shadow / Ashes to ashes / Dust into dust.”
Grohl wrote a lengthy letter alongside the release, retelling the story of the band and acknowledging former band members, including Freese: “It should go without saying that without the boundless energy of William Goldsmith, the seasoned wisdom of Franz Stahl, and the thunderous wizardry of Josh Freese, this story would be incomplete, so we extend our heartfelt gratitude for the time, music, and memories that we shared with each of them over the years. Thank you, gentlemen.”
Freese said in May that he was “not angry – just a bit shocked and disappointed” when he was told that Foo Fighters wanted “to go in a different direction with their drummer”. Foo Fighters did not comment on Freese’s departure.
Freese was the replacement for Taylor Hawkins, who died in 2022 aged 50. Grohl paid tribute to Hawkins in his letter, saying: “Your name is spoken every day, sometimes with tears, sometimes with a smile, but you are still in everything we do, everywhere we go, forever.”
A new drummer has not been announced; a statement alongside Today’s Song says: “Foo Fighters are Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel, Pat Smear, Chris Shiflett and Rami Jaffee.”
Grohl is married to Jordyn Blum, the mother of three of his daughters. In September 2024 he said in a statement: “I’ve recently become the father of a new baby daughter, born outside of my marriage. I plan to be a loving and supportive parent to her. I love my wife and my children, and I am doing everything I can to regain their trust and earn their forgiveness.”
In his announcement of Today’s Song, Grohl perhaps made an oblique reference to these widely publicised struggles, using the metaphor of a lobster shedding its shell. “The point being that life’s challenges have a way of signalling the need for change and growth, so when that time comes, you retreat, rebuild, and resurface stronger than before.”
The admission of infidelity somewhat tarnished the image of a man who was often described as “the nicest man in rock”. Foo Fighters cancelled a headline festival performance and retreated from the public eye for a time, though Grohl reunited with Nirvana bandmate Krist Novoselic in January for a benefit concert after the LA wildfires.
Foo Fighters will return to live music in October, playing four concerts across east Asia and another in Mexico City in November. Their most recent album is 2023’s But Here We Are.
Earlier this week they released I Don’t Wanna Hear It, a cover of a song by punk band Minor Threat, with instrumentals recorded in 1995 but vocals recorded earlier this year.
