In just under 2 weeks, Foo Fighters will release their hotly anticipated 8th studio album, Sonic Highways. Its accompanying TV show of the same name premiered 2 weeks ago, with the 8-part series documenting Sonic Highways’ recording process. All 8 songs were recorded in different cities, featuring different local legends. The first song released from the album, rampant rocker Something From Nothing, is now joined by the album’s second single – The Feast and The Famine.
Opening with a distorted intro riff and raw-sounding vocals from Dave Grohl, it doesn’t take long for The Feast and The Famine to break into a massive, old-school Foo Fighters chorus. Gone are the long, drawn-out rock behemoth elements, rather being replaced by good old Foo Fighters. The track, recorded in Washington DC, sits somewhere between the raw beauty of Learn to Fly and the fierce intensity of Monkey Wrench, with Grohl unleashing a brutal scream towards the end. “Is there anybody there?” asks the frontman as the song builds up, before a short riff precedes a final big chorus and claim of “we need a monument, and change will come”.
As the monumental Foo Fighters comeback continues, it’s clear that the Foos are touching on elements from throughout their whole career. Something From Nothing leaned heavily towards the classic anthems of recent albums, yet The Feast and The Famine sees Grohl and co. delve deeper into the roots of Foo Fighters, producing a song which shows us exactly why they got here in the first place.
4/5
Sonic Highways is released on 10 November.
