Queens Of The Stone Age - In Times New Roman

Josh Homme designed Queens of the Stone Age as a vehicle to encourage the kind of free-flowing collaboration he cherishes. While QOTSA never is as loose as the Desert Sessions, a side project where Homme corrals any weirdo who comes his way into the studio, the band always allowed space to run wild on the margins. That's not the case with In Times New Roman..., the album that follows Villains by six years. There isn't a single guest to be heard on In Times New Roman..., a shift that's felt more than heard; the group haven't abandoned their fondness for sudden detours, yet even these byways feel more controlled than they have in the past. Perhaps the shift is due to Homme living through a rough few years, a time of personal turmoil involving a public divorce and a private battle with cancer, one that was revealed only on the eve of this album's 2023 release. Some of this tumult can be heard within the lyrics, but Homme isn't a memoirist; he has an ear for striking phrases that gain impo