Released: 2023

Genres: Alternative Rock, Hard Rock, Stoner Rock, Glam Rock, Art Rock

The Musiquarium’s In Times New Roman… Review Score: 9 out of 10

After a six year gap between Villains and In Times New Roman…, Josh Homme had dealt with cancer, a messy public divorce. a child custody battle, and the deaths of close friends, like Foo Fighters’ drummer Taylor Hawkins and ex-Queens of the Stone Age member, Mark Lanegan of Screaming Trees. Suffice to say, Josh Homme had been through some serious shit and this album reflects that in its raw and messy production (somewhat similarly to Era Vulgaris), which contrasts nicely to the Mark Ronson-produced Villains, which many fans thought was too clean and sterile.

The opener, Obscenery, is one of many songs with a portmanteau for a title and to use strings. Paper Machete is reminiscent of Little Sister, but different enough that it doesn’t feel like a retread. Negative Space has a tight bass riff. Carnavoyeur whirls the listener in with its carnivalesque synths. Time & Place glides along with syncopated guitars. What the Peephole say sounds like a Villains holdover. Sicily is dark and menacing, definitely evoking some mafia vibes. Straight Jacket Fitting is a blues epic that ends with an acoustic guitar coda of Obscenery, bringing the album full circle. The one slightly weak spot on the album is Made to Parade, which is a rather goofy track.

Queens of the Stone Age’s entire output is of high quality and even Villains, which many fans felt was misstep, was one of the best albums of that year in my books, though In Times New Roman… does feel like an improvement over that album, harkening back to the band’s dirty, fuzzy, desert-tinged sound. Once again, Josh had escaped death (after having briefly died on the operating table during a surgery in 2010), which resulted in another great album from QOTSA.

Trivia: This is the band’s third cover in a row designed by graphic artist Boneface and forms the third in a trilogy of albums.

For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view Queens of the Stone Age on Discogs.

Back to the 2023 Album Guide or the Queens of the Stone Age Reviews page.

Written by Brett Nippard