The Foo Fighters will release their eighth album, Sonic Highways, on Nov. 10. Lately, Dave Grohl’s band seems to have fallen out of favor—there’s a growing consensus that the Fighters are outdated and uninteresting, a passé outfit that churns out Grammy-nominated “dad rock.” I don’t think that’s the case, and the band’s latest song “Congregation,” is a good example why: It’s an indisputably catchy earworm, featuring the blend of punk rock and pop melody that lent classic albums like The Colour and the Shape such broad-base appeal.
The track packs in four or five riffs that could each power a song on their own. It’s still very much a simple, rock ’n’ roll Foo Fighters song, but there’s an energy here, especially in the lovely bridge, that shows how the band is willing to innovate.
