Queens of the Stone Age give us a macabre, mortal album that’s close to ‘Perfecth’
Queens of the Stone Age prove they’ve very much still got what it takes. For a band of this size and scope that’s been around a while, their recent approach has been to adopt a late-career Iggy Pop-type sound that fits in with their ‘Catacombs’ set, tapping into the intimacy and daring structure of live shows that take things up close and personal, alongside millions of skeletal remains.
Josh Homme has faced his own mortality. In the wake of emergency surgery that led to a series of cancelled tours, Queens of the Stone Age are back and they have regrouped. A darker awareness of mortality gives the music an underlying sense of the macabre, perfect for a release on All Hallows’ Eve. These songs stitch emotions – love, lust, asking the audience where all the goth girls are at, etc. – together with a sense of wisdom that comes from having lived and experienced this personal trauma.
‘It’s Only Love’ slows the pace down and exists in the catacombs as much as it does the arenas. It’s about hanging onto hope and what comes with it – it starts out with him and his acoustic guitar, an elevated train running by, tapping into a lonely apartment in the worst years of his life. It’s incredibly personal for Josh Homme, creating a sense of place and stakes almost instantly – this is a man that knows what it’s like to come under the microscope and tells the world this is what Queens of the Stone Age are now: embrace it. They are creative. They are daring. They are trying again – the ten tracks burst full of life and sound, with experimental instrumentals that show you they’re making up for lost time. It’s different from even the ‘Catacombs’ live album. One might say it’s an established rock band that’s finally grown up – with some Cure-esque sleaze, especially on ‘Where The Goth Girls At?’ The album is, if anything, over too fast – I would have loved it if ‘It’s Only Love’ went on longer than its runtime.
The blues-esque ballads swing into Iggy Pop’s Post Pop Depression-era territory, with mortality and a warcry; a redemption arc and a band that reminds you that yes, Queens of the Stone Age have very much not gone away. It’s ambitious, exciting and daring – Songs for the Deaf was biblical in scope and this feels very much like their best record since that point, pushing in new, exciting directions. It’s a sister album to the Iggy Pop record – both records feature ‘Sunday’ – and this one is groovy, catchy and irresistible, capturing the Iggy Pop feel whilst offering something entirely new, with a melody that switches up and keeps things exciting. Homme wears his inspiration on his sleeve, as if asking, ‘What if David Bowie did an Iggy Pop cover?’ The result is as fresh as you’d expect.
‘From the Cliff’ captures a torrent of overwhelming emotion that leads into ‘Sunday’ and then there’s time for the easy, uplifting swingback of ‘Easy Street’. Perhaps the most classic callback is ‘Phantom Limb’, which feels right at home with peak Queens of the Stone Age in spirit and form, before the album cascades into closer ‘Run Away from the Mob’. This back-ending run of tracks is near perfect. It’s hard not to admire the way ‘Easy Street’ dips into psychedelia at times with breezy synths.
‘I’ve tried to make good art, but at times it’s been a war,’ Homme has said when promoting this album elsewhere. Well this time – Queens of the Stone Age and good art have won. The only downside is that this record is too short – thirty-six minutes – more would’ve been welcome, but it lets you embrace its mellowness efficiently and effectively. The hooks take time to settle in, but that doesn’t mean it’s a boring release: it’s a band trying again. Yes, it won’t work for everyone – this is not the traditional Queens of the Stone Age sound – but it hits hard.