{"id":625941,"date":"2026-04-24T16:58:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T16:58:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/625941\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T16:58:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T16:58:12","slug":"foo-fighters-return-verdict-on-new-album-your-favorite-toy-their-essential-records","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/625941\/","title":{"rendered":"Foo Fighters return: Verdict on new album ‘Your Favorite Toy’ & their essential records"},"content":{"rendered":"

Foo Fighters have had a lot of ups and downs during their three-decade run, but their last album \u2013 2023’s \u2018But Here We Are\u2019<\/a> \u2013 was a late career highlight.<\/p>\n

It was the rockers’ first release since the sudden death of longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins and Dave Grohl\u2019s mother, leading the remaining Fighters to channel their heartbreak and grief into a cathartic record that continues to impress. It was certainly one which dispelled the \u201cmiddle-of-the-road dad-rock” label many naysayers have been quick to dish out.<\/p>\n

Now, for the band\u2019s 12th album, Grohl promised a record that \u201cfeels new\u201d – a fresh chapter in the aftermath of loss.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s immediately striking when listening to \u2018Your Favorite Toy\u2019 is that it sounds… well, like nothing new. It\u2019s certainly high-energy, with some muscular riffs and Grohl rediscovering his gruff growl. However, there\u2019s a familiarity to this album that feels like a let-down compared to its predecessor.<\/p>\n

\"Your<\/p>\n

Your Favorite Toy – Roswell – RCA <\/p>\n

Aiming to recreate what they achieved with 2011\u2019s \u2018Wasting Light\u2019 (a rejuvenating back-to-basics rock slap recorded on tape), \u2018Your Favorite Toy\u2019 does impress when it comes to its scrappy feel. \u2018Caught In The Echo\u2019 is high-voltage; \u2018Of All People\u2019 is wonderfully punk-inflected; and album-highlight \u2018Spit Shine\u2019 showcases the stellar work of new drummer Ilan Rubin (formerly of Nine Inch Nails), who shines throughout the album.<\/p>\n

Themes of confession and self-flagellation abound \u2013 which is hardly surprising as Grohl’s admission of infidelity and the firing of Hawkins’ replacement, Josh Freese, has kept the band in the headlines prior to the release of \u2018Your Favorite Toy\u2019. The snag is that while these controversies could have been creative Viagra, the clumsy lyricism throughout the album undermines the intent. Lyrics like \u201cI move in complication \/ Waiting for intersection \/ I wanna take it back \/ Nobody here is truly free\u201d, \u201cYou know you should be dead \/ But you\u2019re alive instead\u201d, or \u201cWas it ever good enough? \/ Anything to be the person you want\u201d come off as shallow rather than candid stabs at confronting one\u2019s demons.<\/p>\n

Granted, considering the band\u2019s longevity and their capacity to weather all kinds of storms, it\u2019s tough to ask for complete renewal this late in the game. \u2018Your Favorite Toy\u2019 does function as a 36-minute jolt of energy, which satisfies on the spot and easily outshines the likes of 2017\u2019s ‘Concrete And Gold’ and 2021\u2019s ‘Medicine At Midnight’. It doesn\u2019t feel like it has too much lasting power though, and it may have fans fighting once more to defend the Foos from accusations of now being dependable rather than essential.<\/p>\n

Speaking of which (seamless transition, thank you), here\u2019s a rundown of the band\u2019s essential albums \u2013 so the uninitiated needn\u2019t feel lost too much longer, and the fans are reminded what gems we have been privy to over the years.<\/p>\n

Here are the best Foo Fighters albums every collection should have \u2013 ranked:<\/p>\n

The Colour And The Shape (1997)\"The<\/p>\n

The Colour And The Shape – Roswell – Capitol <\/p>\n

If you have to own one Foo Fighters album, make it this one. ‘The Colour And The Shape’ is the band\u2019s second outing and it has it all: riffs (‘Monkey Wrench’), anthems (‘Everlong’), ballads (‘Walking After You’), ear worms (‘See You’), passion (‘Hey, Johnny Park’), massive drums (‘Up In Arms’) and a perfect album closer (‘New Way Home’)… It\u2019s a skipless record and one of the defining rock albums of the 90s. Nearly 30 years on, it\u2019s still their most cohesive and powerful album to date. And if your vocal chords have never threatened to hand in a resignation letter after you\u2019ve attempted to scream \u201cOne last thing before I quit \/ I never wanted any more \/ Than I could fit into my head \/ I still remember every single word you said \/ And all the shit that somehow came along with it \/ Still there\u2019s one thing that comforts me \/ Since I was always caged and now I\u2019m freeeeeeeeeee…\u201d on ‘Monkey Wrench’, you\u2019re not a true card-carrying Foo fan.<\/p>\n

There Is Nothing Left To Lose (1999)\"There<\/p>\n

There Is Nothing Left To Lose – Roswell – Capitol <\/p>\n

Compared to ‘The Colour And The Shape’, the band\u2019s third album felt a wee bit more radio-friendly, making it a divisive one for early-day fans. Still, it\u2019s a merited runner-up on the podium, as the poppier tracks (\u2018Learn To Fly\u2019, \u2018Next Year\u2019) are perfectly balanced out by more hard-hitting gems, specifically the Courtney Love-baiting \u2018Stacked Actors\u2019 and the punchy \u2018Breakout\u2019. Then there\u2019s the ballad \u2018Aurora\u2019, a wistful and perfect song which embodies the honesty and perfection of ‘There Is Nothing Left To Lose’. So, yes, this was the sound of punchy pop-rock and a departure from the established sound of \u2018Foo Fighters\u2019 and \u2018The Colour And The Shape\u2019. But it worked.<\/p>\n

Wasting Light (2011)\"Wasting<\/p>\n

Wasting Light – Roswell – RCA <\/p>\n

In the second half of the Foos’ career, ‘Wasting Light’ remains their strongest. At the time of its release, it was something of a return to form \u2013 a back-to-rockier-basics approach which had some of the band\u2019s heaviest recordings in over a decade. From the abrasive \u2018Rope\u2019 and \u2018White Limo\u2019 to the anthemic \u2018Arlandria\u2019 and stadium-built highlight \u2018Walk\u2019, this reset had Dave Grohl and his scrappy bunch recording in the frontman\u2019s garage, using analog equipment for the tracking. The result? Fierce riffs, catchy choruses, and five Grammy nominations \u2013 including a win for Album of the Year.<\/p>\n

Foo Fighters (1995)\"Foo<\/p>\n

Foo Fighters – Roswell – Capitol <\/p>\n

The debut album so low? Yeah, it\u2019s a classic, but choices had to be made. Essentially a solo project, with Dave Grohl playing every note himself in the space of six days, ‘Foo Fighters’ was his way of recovering from the death of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain<\/a> in 1994. It was a powerful statement of intent \u2013 a cathartic exercise which saw one of the best rock drummers around graduate to bona fide leading man. Energetic tracks like \u2018This Is A Call\u2019, \u2018Big Me\u2019 and \u2018I\u2019ll Stick Around\u2019 showed there was life post-Nirvana, and they still hit hard to this day.<\/p>\n

But Here We Are (2023)\"But<\/p>\n

But Here We Are – Roswell – RCA <\/p>\n

As with the first Foo Fighters album, ‘But Here We Are’ was born out of heartache. After a string of disappointing albums, the band\u2019s eleventh LP was released in the wake of the sudden death of drummer Taylor Hawkins, who died at the age of 50 in March 2022. The pain of loss was compounded when Grohl\u2019s mother died months later. ‘But Here We Are’ is the sound of Foo Fighters facing death and grief head on. It\u2019s not a perfect album, but it\u2019s certainly one of the band\u2019s most important and emotionally charged releases \u2013 as well as the high bar to clear for upcoming releases. ‘Your Favorite Toy’ doesn\u2019t clear that bar, but at least its artwork isn\u2019t as monochromic.<\/p>\n

Foo Fighters\u2019 \u2018Your Favorite Toy\u2019 is out now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Foo Fighters have had a lot of ups and downs during their three-decade run, but their last album…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":625942,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[49,48,27131,75,26809,341,234720,37671,234719,234721],"class_list":["post-625941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-dave-grohl","tag-entertainment","tag-foo-fighters","tag-music","tag-roswell","tag-taylor-hawkins","tag-wasting-light","tag-your-favorite-toy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=625941"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625941\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/625942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=625941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=625941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=625941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}