I've been a Foo Fighters fan for over fifteen years and I consider them to be my favorite band. However, I was feeling a bit apprehensive about the new album considering the drama surrounding Dave's personal life and the firing of Josh Freese. I felt even worse upon hearing the single "Your Favorite Toy" (imo, one of the worst Foos songs in a while). But when the album dropped I gave it some listens and found myself really liking it.
Songs like Window and If You Only Knew really stand out to me. I think either one of those could/should have been the lead single. I also really like Caught in the Echo, Of All People, and Unconditional. Each of those three tunes has that classic Foo Fighters vibe. It seems to me that this album reflects a deliberate shift away from the ballads of But Here We Are and towards a more fast-paced punky sound. The distorted vocals are sometimes a bit much. But it doesn't seem like they're trying to re-invent the wheel. While some songs seem to me like obvious filler tracks (Spit Shine, Child Actor), I'd consider it a pretty good album all around. I am not sure where I'd rank it in the band's discography. I think it's hard to top BHWA and I was actually a pretty big fan of Medicine at Midnight, but I think it's more memorable than Concrete and Gold.
It's certainly not a popular time to be a Foos fan these days. And I am sure this album won't garner as much attention as the previous few did. However, I think it's still worth appreciating. I think songs like Window will really age well. Now that they have been around for so long, I think I can confidentially argue that Foo Fighters really are one of the most consistent bands ever. This is all just my opinion...