CD of The Week

Foo Fighters have had a tumultuous few years following the sudden death of drummer Taylor Hawkins in 2022. The grief of processing that loss ultimately led to 2023’s cathartic But Here We Are. Three years later, Dave Grohl and company have returned with Your Favorite Toy, a 10-song declaration that the fast-paced, rocking Foos of old are here to stay.

“Caught in the Echo” opens the album, with a familiar guitar sound reminiscent of In Your Honor-era Foo Fighters. We’re treated to Grohl’s signature fuzzed-out screaming as he belts, “Do I? Do I? Do I? Do I?” before transitioning to the anthemic chorus.

The album continues with “Of All People,” a punk-adjacent song written about running into a drug dealer years down the road, with jabbing lyrics like “of all people you survived,” and “you know you should be dead but you’re alive instead.”

Your Favorite Toy is the first to feature the Foos’ new drummer, Ilan Rubin, following the surprising firing of veteran session/touring drummer Josh Freese. Rubin’s work is on full display driving the album, most notably on songs like “Amen, Caveman” and the title track. He seamlessly meshes several drum styles in one that plays well off the rest of the band.

Wrapping up the 36-minute journey is “Asking for a Friend,” luring us in with an ethereal guitar melody and Grohl singing, “Save your promises until we meet again … What is real? I’m asking for a friend.” It quickly transitions to a heavier arena-rock style that brings back the chilling lyrics return, before culminating in a heavy metal breakdown in its last 30 seconds.

An exciting return to form, Your Favorite Toy draws inspiration from different states of their storied career. It’s a safe and familiar garage-rock album that delivers exactly what it promises —fast, loud, distorted screaming rock with catchy hooks — but at times it borrows too much from their past. That’s not to say it’s bad; it’s a solid offering that stays true to the signature Foo Fighters sound we’ve grown accustomed to.

Foo Fighters return to Philadelphia this summer for a massive show at Lincoln Financial Field, with Queens of the Stone Age and hometown heroes Mannequin Pussy opening up, on August 13th.