In Times New Roman… by Queens of the Stone Age | Album Review

A grimy and bleak lesson on pain, grief, and acceptance.

Listen to In Times New Roman: Apple Music | Spotify

To say the last few years have been dark would be common knowledge at this point in time, but to say that for Josh Homme that would be an understatement. Over the last few years, the Queens of the Stone Age frontman battled with a messy divorce, the deaths of friends, and most recently a cancer diagnosis since we last heard from him and the band. While taking a break from the music, Homme would conjure up all his feelings of grief, guilt, and acceptance and lay them out to bare for the new album In Times New Roman…

The stoner rock group exchanges the dance-influenced tones of 2017’s Villains for a grimy, rock n roll aesthetic on their latest album In Times New Roman… If the album cover is any indication, there’s a sense of doom and inner demons being exposed over the 10-track run. Their first album in 6 years sees the Queens of the Stone Age offer their heaviest material in quite some time, with lyrics revolving around the personal turmoils Homme has dealt with in the past few years.

Entirely self-produced by the band, In Times New Roman… is both a return to form to the band’s earlier alt-rock days, while also an expansion of their wholly unique sound. They bring a slick groove to a number of songs such as “Sicily”, whose distorted guitar riffs give the track a real dark edge. The album is at its best when the band turns up the tempo and lets loose on some of the faster cuts like “Time & Place” and “Paper Machete”.

The more “adventurous” tracks have their own little nuances that add some variety but to be fair, nothing super experimental or different. Tracks like “Emotion Sickness” initially start off with a surprise before veering off into familiar territory. Nevertheless, they all add to the album’s overall sludgy and bleak tone. Stylistically the major emphasis on the band’s signature guitar riffs and power chords harkens back to their past material like Rated R as opposed to the funkier, dad rock vibes from 2017’s Villains. Something fans may/may not like but I think them essentially taking a step back works well for this new album.

Homme has always presented himself as this suave, villainous persona on previous Queens albums and he still does so here, albeit with a bit more rawness. Lines like (“You must be pleased with the miseries you designed.”) from the opener “Obscenery” are clear allusions to his dissolving relationship. His bitterness seeps through on “Paper Machete” as his takedowns become more personal, effectively adding more salt to the wound.

It’s when Homme decides to flip the script and look inwards at himself and the world that you fully realize the bleakness of In Times New Roman… Depression and self-loathing permeate songs like “Sicily” (“I’m all used up again, I beat myself like a broken record.”). “Carnavoyeur” is an apt description of accepting life for how it is, despite the chaos it brings. The final track “Straight Jacket Fitting” is a 9-minute epic detailing this dark world of tragedies and traumas we live in. Lamenting on the current state of life with a simple statement (“What can you do? We’re all alone in Times New Roman.”).

While there are some instances where the album falters, namely tracks like “What the Peephole Say” and “Made to Parade” that reiterates some of the more unsavoury bits of Villains, I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed In Times New Roman… This sort of back-to-basics style of grungy, dirty garage rock was a smart choice as it feels like the band hasn’t done this style in a very long time. Lyrically the subject matter is on point with the production, being equally as venomous and at times, brutish.

Overall I’m feeling a solid 8/10 on In Times New Roman… As painful as grief and loss are, the inevitable acceptance of these things can be just as devasting. That acceptance of reality or the “new normal” is tough and I believe Queens of the Stone Age conveyed those thoughts quite well in this new album. Whether or not we’d have to wait another 6 years for a new album is up for debate, but if it means getting quality as good as In Times New Roman… then I’m all for it.

Final Rating: 8/10

Favourite Tracks: Obscenery, Paper Machete, Time & Place, Carnavoyeur, Sicily, Straight Jacket Fitting.