The popular rock band Foo Fighters released their tenth album, titled “Concrete and Gold,” last week on September 15. The band is characterized by its heavy but melodic sound, an aesthetic Spotify describes as the “loud-quiet-loud” rock music genre, characteristic of bands like the Pixies and Nirvana.

Lead singer David Grohl serenades audiences with a soft and humble opening to the album, “I don’t wanna be king, I just wanna sing a love song.” This record is streaked with familiarity that fans will recognize in singles like “Arrows”, “The Line” and “Run”.

“Arrows” brings audiences back to iconic sounds from the band’s popular singles like “Everlong.” Powerful lyrics like “the tears in your eyes someday will dry, we fight for our lives ’cause everything’s on the line this time” from “The Line” are reminiscent of the band’s proactive theme of perseverance despite obstacles that is so central to their style.

The album also features a slew of celebrities across multiple music genres beyond the rock community; for example, produced by co-writer for Adele Greg Kurstin, Justin Timberlake contributed backing vocals to “Make It Right”. This is not a new move for the band. In 2015 Gary Clark, Jr. made an appearance on the band’s “Saint Cecilia” EP to honor the victims of the Paris terror attacks.

The title song, “Concrete and Gold,” among others, introduces a sound from the band that fans may not recognize as easily.  The introduction has a placidity to it with an atmospheric sound more akin to artists like Radiohead.

Similarly, the single “La Dee Da” appears to appeal to a new fan base of Foo Fighters–those who champion modern rock. While the song has heavier undertones, elements of pop rock common of many crossover bands can be noticed. The band compensates for this modern feel by borrowing scream-like sounds to add in the first syllable of the chorus–a song truly acting as a jack of all trades.

With a steady, low core progression, the vibe to “Sunday Rain”–a track Paul McCartney plays drums on–matches its title to a tee. The song may bring audiences to a Pink Floyd vibe of the 70’s as Foo Fighters warp their voices in the main verses to make it sound airy, providing a sense of hazy cloudiness.

The band’s new documentary on Netflix, “Back and Forth,” speaks heavily of their previous struggles with inconsistency. Often, band members would leave or David would feel someone did not mesh well with the chemistry of the group. Grohl says, “Someone would come to me about leaving the band, and this point I was just like, ‘Alright, why?'” The latest addition to the band is keyboardist Rami Jaffee, who has been touring with Foo Fighters for some time now. Perhaps Grohl will never cultivate in the Foo Fighters the kind of chemistry he achieved while drumming for Nirvana. Of Cobain’s passing Grohl says, “I didn’t wanna play music, I didn’t wanna play the drums.”

The band will kick off their South American tour in Brazil in February of 2018 with a select amount of North American dates leading up to the tour.