QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE (QOTSA) - In Times New Roman... 2LP (colour vinyl)

Limited edition red, blue, silver colour vinyl (and black).

QOTSA are getting old. The seemingly evergreen Josh Homme is showing the wear of nigh on 30 years of being one of the most standout, interesting… undeniable rockerboys in the game. His20s and 30s were marked with a score of impressive collaborations with John Paul Jones, Elton John, and the late Mark Lanegan - also a reputation of being an incredibly talented and charismatic smooth talking douche that often reached “love-to-hate” territory with anger problems. That was the QOTSA experience - stupid headlines about whatever dumb thing Josh had said or done to someone else, with a sub note: some god damn fantastic music on the way too.

It’s easy to see when Josh shaped up, so to speak. The progression of Queens into and through the 2010s presented an even maturation, from the dour, melancholic, and positively gut wrenching reflections on death and heartbreak of …Like Clockwork to the honestly goofy, upbeat dad-rock fun of the much more recent Villains whose bluesy kick and constant nods to the past showed a Josh who was looking back on a life lived, not worrying about a life ahead. To compound this new, truly adult outlook, QOTSA even shifted to a permanent lineup instead of the revolving door cast of the bands other eras!

Where does this latest effort, an uneven sequel of sorts, lead the band? Back into muddy waters - cancer, death, a pandemic, a tumultuous divorce, custody battles, false accusations, and even a little fraud all line the road that pierces through In Times New Roman…’s wrought iron gates. There is no room in this write up for speculation. All that can be stated with absolute certainty is that the mentality of this album is one of bitterness, honesty, and a fresh sense of confidence renewed in the wake of something pretty fucked up. And right out of the gate the album wants everyone to know exactly that.

“Mannequins have flawless skin / You can dress ‘em up as me if you like.”