Two days after unveiling a surprise Minor Threat cover, Foo Fighters have returned with a new original, “Today’s Song,” which precedes the 30th anniversary of the Dave Grohl-led band’s self-titled debut album on July 4. It’s also the group’s first fresh music since the release of 2023’s But Here We Are and drummer Josh Freese’s sudden departure earlier this year.
The first 55 seconds of “Today’s Song” find Grohl singing over a simple, meditative organ line, his lyrics seemingly addressing the extramarital affair that scotched the band’s 2024 tour: “I woke today screaming for change / I knew that I must / So here lies a shadow, ashes to ashes, dust into dust.” From there, the Foos introduce their signature mid-tempo, heavy guitar attack as Grohl’s voice grows in intensity (“we all drown in the middle / which side are you on?”).
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Grohl also plays drums on the track, which he’d rarely done in a Foo Fighters context for many years prior to But Here We Are.
“Over the years, we’ve had moments of unbridled joy, and moments of devastating heartbreak,” Grohl wrote on the Foos’ recently launched Substack page, which is featuring rare images and contemporary recollections about their career. “Moments of beautiful victory, and moments of painful defeat. We have mended broken bones and broken hearts. But we have followed this road together, with each other, for each other, no matter what. Because in life, you just can’t go it alone.”
Grohl then saluted several former members of the group, as well as drummer Taylor Hawkins, who died suddenly in 2022. “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,” he wrote. “Thank you, gentlemen.”
Referencing Hawkins, Grohl said, “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. The enormity of your beautiful soul is only rivaled by the infinite longing we feel in your absence. We all miss you beyond words. Foo Fighters will forever include Taylor Hawkins in every note that we play, until we do finally reach our destination.”
Grohl and company will return to the road Oct. 2 in Jakarta for their first shows since Freese was let go. No replacement drummer has been named.
To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.
