Rock

“It came in a flash/ It came out of nowhere/ It happened so fast/ And then it was over/ Are you thinking what I’m thinking?/ Is this happening now?” Those are the opening lines to “Rescued,” the raw, let it bleed first single from the Foo Fighters‘ upcoming 11th album, But Here We Are, their first since the shocking death of drummer Taylor Hawkins last March.
The rager propelled by the band’s signature mix of Dave Grohl’s primal scream emotion and lyrical elegance — including a section where he howls “rescue me tonight” over rolling drums — will be featured on the 10 song But Here We Are, due out on June 2 on Roswell Records/RCA Records.

“We’re all free to some degree to dance under the lights/ I’m just waiting to be rescued/ Bring me back to life,” Grohl sings wistfully on the song’s chorus.

Produced by frequent collaborator Greg Kurstin and the band, the collection is described in a press release as “the first chapter of the band’s new life.” The initial single from the group whose resting pulse is keep-on-keepin’-on is the first new music we’ve heard from the Foos since the unimaginable loss of their literal and emotional heartbeat. The release dubs the album, “a brutally honest and emotionally raw response to everything Foo Fighters endured over the last year… a testament to the healing powers of music, friendship and family. Courageous, damaged and unflinchingly authentic.”

It promises that “Rescued” is just one piece of a tracklist that runs the emotional gamut from “rage and sorrow to serenity and acceptance, and myriad points in between,” while tapping into the naiveté of the band’s 1995 debut, but also informed by nearly three decades of maturity and depth.

“But Here We Are is the sound of brothers finding refuge in the music that brought them together in the first place 28 years ago, a process that was as therapeutic as it was about a continuation of life,” it promises.

To date, the Foos have announced 25 U.S. and European festival and headliner dates for this summer and fall, but have not said who will replace the energetic, beloved timekeeper whose death at 50 while on tour in South America devastated the group and their fans. It was unclear at press time who plays drums on the track and who will sit behind the kit for live shows; a spokesperson for the group had not returned requests for comment at press time on who performs on the song and who will play with them on tour.

Listen to “Rescued” and see the But Here We Are tracklist below.

But Here We Are tracklist:

“Rescued” “Under You”“Hearing Voices”“But Here We Are” “The Glass”“Nothing At All” “Show Me How” “Beyond Me”“The Teacher”“Rest”

Metallica celebrated National American Sign Language Day on Saturday (April 15) by announcing that they will become the first-ever major rock band to release American Sign Language (ASL) videos for every song from their new album. The roll-out began with the official ASL visual for the 72 Seasons title track, which features ASL interpretation from flame-haired Amber Galloway, a fan favorite festival sign language interpreter.

The clip features Galloway taking up one-third of the screen and signing the song’s two-minute guitar intro and galloping drums before tackling singer James Hetfield’s urgent vocals. The project is a collaboration between Metallica and the nonprofit Deaf Professional Arts Network (DPAN) and Galloway’s Amber G Productions.

In a video announcement, self-described hardcore deaf Metallica fan Tom Osbourne explained the project, signing, “It is my honor to announce that on April 25th Metallica will release ALL music videos from 72 Seasons in ASL. Metallica is the first major rock band to do this!”

In a band statement about the title track ASL video — and the upcoming 11 other 72 Seasons ASL clips — the group praised Galloway, who has gone viral several times for her high-energy signing at festivals including Austin City Limits and Lollapalooza. “It’s been an honor to work with Amber and DPAN teams, and we hope that our fans in the deaf and hard of hearing community enjoy experiencing the album through these videos!” the band wrote.

In addition to their ASL video initiative, Metallica released three other videos over the weekend from the album that dropped on Friday. The animated Tristan Zammit-directed clip for “Shadows Fall” has heroic, anime-style versions of the quartet rocking out on a galactic sundial. Another Zammit-helmed animated clip for “Room of Mirrors” takes place in a haunted house filled with toothy flying eyeball monsters. A Tim Saccenti-directed live action performance clip for “Sleepwalk My Life Away” drops the Bay Area RRHOF members in a murky mountain landscape for a moodily lit performance under ominously swirling clouds.

In addition to 8 lyric videos, Metallica was slated to drop a new visual for “TooFar Gone?” at 10 a.m. ET on Monday (April 17).

Check out the ASL “72 Seasons,” ASL announcement and new videos below.

Bruce Springsteen’s birthday, Sept. 23, will be formally recognized as Bruce Springsteen Day in New Jersey. Phil Murphy, governor of the Garden State, made the announcement on April 15 at the inaugural American Music Honors, which were held at the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music on the campus of Monmouth University in West Long Branch, N.J. The event was hosted by another favorite son of New Jersey, comedian Jon Stewart.
“Bruce Springsteen is one of the most recognizable, iconic and influential musicians – and New Jerseyans – of all time,” said Governor Murphy. “It is important that we recognize Bruce for all he has done and will continue to do, from giving us the gift of his music to lending his time to the causes close to his heart, including making the Archives and Center for American Music a repository that will inspire tomorrow’s songwriters and singers. We thank him for showing the world what it means to live our New Jersey values. I am both honored and proud to declare his birthday Bruce Springsteen Day in New Jersey.”

The official proclamation was studded with Bruce Springsteen lore and a fair number of Springsteen puns. A long litany of whereases concluded:

“WHEREAS, Bruce Springsteen will forever be remembered as the voice of the Garden State, signaling to the world that New Jerseyans were born to run;

“NOW, THEREFORE, I, Philip D. Murphy, Governor of the State of New Jersey, do hereby proclaim: SEPTEMBER 23 AS BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN DAY for creating the soundtrack to our glory days.”

In his remarks at the event, Murphy had more to say about Springsteen.

“Truth be told, I know my place in the hierarchy of New Jersey. After all, I may be the 56th individual to be called ‘governor,’ but there will ever only be just one ‘Boss.’”

“…So, to you, Bruce, thank you for all you have done, and will continue to do – from giving us the gift of your music to lending your time to the causes close to your heard, including making the Archives and Center for American Music a repository that will inspire tomorrow’s songwriters and singers.”

“Thank you for showing the world what it makes to live our New Jersey values.”

Many artists are called “national treasures,” but Springsteen has the facts to back it up. In 2009, he performed at Barack Obama’s historic presidential inauguration. That same year, he was awarded the Kennedy Center Honors, along with co-honorees Mel Brooks, Robert DeNiro, jazz great Dave Brubeck and opera singer Grace Bumbry. 

In 2016, Springsteen received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from President Obama. In 2023, President Biden presented him the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists and art patrons by the U.S. government.

Springsteen and Obama have had a long-lived friendship and partnership. In 2021, they collaborated on an eight-episode podcast series for Spotify, Renegades: Born in the USA, which was turned into a book.

Springsteen’s countless awards and honors include 20 Grammys, an Oscar for “Streets of Philadelphia,” a special, non-competitive Tony for Springsteen on Broadway and three Emmy nominations. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.

Stevie Van Zandt, Sam Moore, Darlene Love and Steve Earle were the inaugural recipients of the American Music Honors.

Located within Monmouth University, the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music preserves Springsteen’s legacy and celebrates the history of American music and its diversity of artists and genres.

To see a copy of the proclamation, click here.