Dave Grohl explains why Foo Fighters are releasing new music during pandemic

Foo Fighters' upcoming 10th record Medicine At Midnight has been a long, loooong time in the works, and Dave Grohl has revealed that the release could have been delayed further – only, the band decided that fans needed music, despite the coronavirus pandemic.

The rock titans dropped lead single Shame Shame in November, with the full album arriving on February 5, 2021. And, speaking to New York's Q104.3 (via Blabbermouth), Dave says the band spent "months" deciding what to do about releasing it in these strange times, having finished the album earlier this year.

Read this: Foo Fighters’ new album Medicine At Midnight: Everything we know so far

"We started [recording] this, I think, in maybe September last year, and we were finished by January, February," he says. "We were totally done – mixed, mastered, ready to go. Artwork was done; T-shirts were being made; equipment was on the trucks – we were good to go. And then everything just kind of shut down. Then it was months and months of trying to decide when we would release it. 'Okay, do we just put it out now?' 'No, let's wait. Maybe we'll see what happens.' A month later, 'Do we put it out now?' 'No, let's wait.'"

The frontman continues: "So, six or seven months went by, and I'm like, 'We make this music for people to hear. We don't just make it so that we can go hit the road. We write these songs so people can enjoy them and sing along, whether it's in their kitchen by themselves with a bottle of Crown Royal or in a stadium bouncing around, singing the choruses.'

"So I was like, 'Right now, more than ever, people need something to lift their spirits, something to give them some feeling of relief or escape.' I was like, 'We've gotta put it out. Let's put it out right now.' I don't know when we're gonna hit the road, but we need to give the music to the people, 'cause that's why we make it."

Check out the full interview below:

Read this: The 25 greatest three-album runs in rock and metal