QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE has released “Paper Machete”, the latest and final preview from its upcoming eighth album, “In Times New Roman…”
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE frontman Joshua Homme told Consequence about “Paper Machete” and its connection to past QOTSA tracks like “Little Sister” and “Regular John”: “There’s some classic us here… Like, that lead line that’s going through the song, that’s such quintessential Dean [Fertita] — it’s very him, the style and the way it’s played. And Troy [Van Leeuwen] was saying, ‘I’m going to do a lead that’s the exact tone as ‘Little Sister’.’ I guess we call them cousins, like ‘Little Sister’ is related to ‘Paper Machete’ — and it’s also related to our first song, ‘Regular John’, all the way back.”
He continued: “I think, lyrically, this has become this diary of a life. You’re writing a soundtrack in your life. When you stop the film and pull a single frame, each song is like a single frame of an emotion. This one kind of represents the frustration of saying, ‘I’ve had enough now.’ I think it’s really important to be able to really distill it down to one drop of an emotion for each song.”
“In Times New Roman…” will be available across all platforms on June 16 via Matador Records. On the eve of release fans are invited to ring in the album’s release at Midnight Club parties taking place at record shops and pubs across 23 countries. The Midnight Club starts at 11 p.m. June 15 and will feature giveaways, exclusive merch including limited edition colored vinyl, and — in a few select locations — signed merchandise and ticket giveaways. Midnight Club will provide the QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE faithful with a first chance to hear “In Times New Roman…” in its entirety, amongst friends, family and of course appropriate levels of bacchanalia.
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE performed live for the first time in more than three years on May 26 at the Sonic Temple festival in Columbus, Ohio. Prior to the Columbus gig, Josh Homme and his bandmates played one gig in early 2020, their first since 2018.
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE‘s 11-song set included the live debut of “Emotion Sickness”.
“In Times New Roman…” was recorded and mixed at Homme‘s own Pink Duck (RIP),with additional recording at Shangri-La. The album was produced by QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE and mixed by Mark Rankin. The album will be available across all digital platforms and on vinyl and CD. Artwork and double LP gatefold packaging designed by longtime collaborator Boneface. LP vinyl will be available globally in black, green, red, silver and blue.
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE said in its album announcement that the record reflects the heartache its members have experienced in the past few years.
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE‘s last album, 2017’s “Villains”, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart.
“In Times New Roman…” is “raw, at times brutal and not recommended for the faint of heart,” a press release states. “And yet, it’s perhaps the most beautiful and definitely the most rewarding album in their epic discography. Homme‘s most acerbic lyrics to date are buoyed by the instantly identifiable QOTSA sonic signature, expanded and embellished with new and unprecedented twists in virtually every song. With ‘In Times New Roman…’ we see that sometimes one needs to look beneath scars and scabs to see beauty, and sometimes the scabs and scars are the beauty.”
Photo credit: Andreas Neumann