Josh Homme has been through some shit since we last heard from him and his bandmates on 2017’s Villains.

In fact, it all started on the day the band was starting the last leg of the Villains World Tour in Europe.  Anthony Bourdain, famous for Parts Unknown and a dear friend of Homme’s, hung himself while on location in Paris on June 8, 2018.  The two had formed a bond over their common struggles, including trying to balance their home lives with touring the world.  Homme and Mark Lanegan even wrote the theme song for Parts Unknown.  It would be the first of many losses Josh would experience over the next five years.

Homme then endured a nasty, very public divorce and custody battle with ex-wife Brody Dalle, the lead singer of The Distillers.  Dalle had filed for divorce from Homme in 2019 due to her husband’s alleged alcohol and drug abuse.   The ensuing court proceedings and custody hearings lasted three years, but not before a slew of restraining orders, domestic abuse allegations, accusations of infidelity, and publicized court records emerged in the press that made both sides look quite ugly.  After it was determined that Dalle broke a court ordered custody agreement, Homme was granted full-custody in March 2022, but not before threatening to throw her new boyfriend off of a balcony outside an Apple Store in a mall.  Yeesh.  

The aforementioned Mark Lanegan, a frequent QOTSA contributor and former Screaming Trees lead singer, then passed away in February 2022.  Homme had met Lanegan when he became the Trees’ touring guitarist briefly in 1995 after Kyuss disbanded. He had wanted Lanegan to be Queens’ frontman when he started his new band.  Lanegan declined, but agreed to sing a few songs on each of their albums from Rated R through Lullabies to Paralyze, including the immortal Songs for the Deaf.  He also frequently toured with the band during this era.  Though he never commented publicly on his death, in recent interviews he has spoken about Lanegan in a way that shows the love and brotherhood they shared with each other.

He experienced another death of a friend and collaborator a month later when Foo Fighters’ drummer Taylor Hawkins died in March 2022.   Homme is notably close with Dave Grohl, as the latter drummed on Songs for the Deaf and …Like Clockwork, while the two were also bandmates in the legendary side project Them Crooked Vultures with Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones.  Being close to Grohl meant being close to Taylor, as the two were inseparable, and Homme no doubt felt this loss deeply as well.

In total, Homme recounts mourning the loss of seven people close to him between the release of Villains and today.  Oh, and on top of that, he was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer and had it removed in 2022 as well.  He has very appropriately called the last few years “the darkest of his life.”

So, how do these experiences manifest themselves into a record?  If past experience is any indicator, one would expect In Times New Roman… to deliver.  Homme is no stranger to tragedy: he actually died on an operating table when undergoing a surgery on his knee in 2010 before being brought back.  He remained in bed for three months following being defibrillated back to life, with little to no human contact, and considered quitting music altogether.  This solitary experience was a good part of the inspiration for the band’s 2013 miserable classic …Like Clockwork.   Similarly, Homme struggled to complete this new record.  According to a recent interview, the musical tracks had been completed at some point in 2021, but it took him nearly two years to be in the correct mental space to complete work on the lyrics and lay down the vocals. 

On the other hand, the band’s last effort Villains is largely considered to be the weakest offering in their back catalog.  Produced by Mark Ronson, Homme and his bandmates seemed eager to add a more pop friendly element to their music, which largely fell flat besides the lead single “The Way You Used to Do.”  The album has its moments for sure, but doesn’t approach the standard fans have become accustomed to for a Queens of the Stone Age record.  There’s always a chance your favorite band has already made their last good album, which is a terrifying prospect for such an innovative and distinctive group as the Queens. 

There’s a few things I can tell you about the album before we jump into the songs without even listening to them because they’re generally true about any Queens of the Stone Age album.  First and foremost, it will be at least a little weird and offbeat.  Part of what makes the band so original is their unique style, which produces oddly molded songs that take a bit to understand.  Along those lines, it’s going to take about a dozen listens before you fully digest what you’re actually listening to – which is what happened to me with In Times New Roman….   Josh Homme will also make up words at some point during the album, whether it be the song titles or in the lyrics, but probably both.   Lastly, there will be several veiled or direct references to sex. 

It’s also important to note that the band also considers this the final part of a trilogy that starts with …Like Clockwork, with Villains being sandwiched in the middle.  The back cover of the album confirms this, as the titles of the band’s previous two records are featured with In Times New Roman…at the bottom of this lovely snake-accentuated candle seen below. How the albums connect, if at all, is another thing for us to ponder as we break down the band’s new 10-track, 48-minute effort.

1.     “Obscenery” (4:23)

We’ve already checked two things off of our list right away with the album opener.  Josh is making up words all over the place in this one, including the title.  In fact, most of the song titles on the album consist of plays on words, which is something Homme has used frequently throughout the band’s history.  Second, the lyrics deal largely with selfishness, lust, and other deadly sins and how he has submitted to their allure.  Between the many references to sex - “I’m drowning in a wet dream,” “fuck me stupid,” and perhaps my favorite, “voyeurism-jism” – it seems that Homme has stopped feeling sorry for himself and decided to lean into his vices, for better or worse.  When he wails “cause I’ve got no love left for anyone but me” towards the end the song, he all but confirms it.  Sonically, “Obscenery” features disjointed, off-beat verses lead to a heavy, boisterous chorus, split up by a bridge that shows a nice use of strings.  It took me a few times to fully digest it, but this is a great opening song once it clicks. 

2.     “Paper Machete” (3:22)

Though not the lead single from the album, “Paper Machete” is a classic Queens song that will eventually become a regular in their live rotation.  Musically, it could be the long-lost cousin of “Little Sister,” right down to the solo.  Homme seems to be addressing his former relationship when singing “you speak lioness and damsel in distress so fluently,” and the lyrical theme of the song seems to be freeing himself from caring about all the things that had gone wrong with it – “so long – my love is dead.”  “Paper Machete” checks all the boxes of a great Queens song, from its catchiness to Homme’s strong lyrical work - and we can mark another made-up word or phrase on our scorecard!

3.     “Negative Space” (3:53)

Opening with a strong, simple, heavy guitar riff, Michael Shuman’s bass really takes center stage in “Negative Space.”  Homme continues to lament things that have gone awry in his personal life, but the theme of acceptance starts to emerge – “we’ll never get back to where we were, there’s no words.”   Another strong track that shows just maybe the Queens are back to their old classic, rockin’ form after Villains…

4.     “Time and Place” (4:26)

…until they start to get a little weird, which was bound to happen.  “Time and Place” gets a little dance-crazy and takes the decibel level down a notch from the straight-forward rock ‘n roll approach of the first three songs on the album.  There are elements of Villains present here, which are fine,  but after the power of the beginning of the album, seem like a step in the wrong direction.  Another song relating to sex, Homme makes a long-winded analogy about a woman being like a smoked cigarette – “you’re such a drag, all that’s left is a decent butt.”  Not the time or place, Josh.

5.     “Made to Parade” (5:18)

Things continue to be a little weird, if not a little more back to the form of the opening three songs.  A slow, heavy plodding riff is accentuated by what I can only describe as carnival sounding keyboard instrumentation.  The first half of the song lyrically is what I imagine it would be like if QOTSA wrote their own version of “Take This Job and Shove It,” as Homme laments the everyman’s struggle of toeing the line in a corporate world.  The song shifts for the final two minutes into a euphoric outro with bright, optimistic lyrics for really the first time on the album, which is important to consider as they’ve been quite dark to this point.  Perhaps there’s more movement towards acceptance as we move forward. 

6.     “Carnavoyeur” (3:56)

We lasted a whole three songs before another made up word – it was a decent run.  Josh is in full Desert Bowie form on this one as his vocal performance and the structure of the song very clearly channel Ziggy Stardust in the ‘80s.  Mikey Shoes (Shuman) provides a low-octave bassline that’s tone reminds me of “Gunman” if it was way slower.  Homme laments that “every living thing will die” and that “the only sin is waiting too long,” showing that perhaps he needs to make the most of what time he has left rather than wallow in his misery.

7.     “What the Peephole Say” (4:06)

The most infectious opening on the album since “Paper Machete” again showcases a bass groove, which has been excellent throughout the album.  We’ve got another play on words in the title so take another drink.   Homme repeats “I don’t care what the people say/know,” freeing himself from the judgment of the world at large, before a confusing, frantic chorus – “the wolf’s on the creep with the sheep on the merry-go-round.”  I have no idea what that means, but that’s what you sign up for when you go deep with Queens of the Stone Age.  The song drastically turns towards the end, with another Bowie-esque call and response to conclude that’s a sharp departure from the beginning.  I don’t know what to make of this song, but I like it.  It’s as if Homme is saying “here I am, for better or worse - take it or leave it.”

8.     “Sicily” (4:41) 

An eerie and subdued beginning leads to an even creepier chorus, enhanced by a haunting string arrangement.  Another song that deals largely with sex – “I live between your legs” – it becomes nearly barren in the middle, as only a lone acoustic guitar plays, it builds again with the same haunting strings until it’s conclusion as Homme warns “love’ll make you sick.”  Creepy, in more than one way, but still good – a sleeper pick for the album. 

9.     “Emotion Sickness” (4:31)

The lead single for the album, we have already heard this phrase in the lyrics for “Negative Space,” and Homme explained in an interview that the concept of “emotion sickness” came up repeatedly when he was writing lyrics for the album.   So much so, in fact, he wrote an entire song about it.  The verses rock harder than the chorus, which is a three-part harmony that bemoans “baby don’t care for me, had to let her go.”  The attitude has shifted a bit to not really caring, which for Homme at this point, is probably a good thing.

10.  “Straight Jacket Fitting” (9:01)  

The final track of the album’s chorus is where it gets its namesake: “we’re all alone in times new Roman.”  It’s a nod to the fall of the Roman empire and where we’re heading – “the old world burns like a candle flickering out.”  It’s also a joke about the most boring font there is.  Homme apparently found it comical that the greatest empire in world history shared a name with the plainest, most default font in the world.  An epic 9 minutes starts with a slow, methodical guitar melody that reminds me of some combination of “I Appear Missing” and “You Got a Killer Scene There, Man” before leading to the previously mentioned chorus.  Around the 2:30 mark, the band kicks in to basically their version of “Roadhouse Blues,” with Homme doing his best Lizard King impression while listing the worlds ills and somehow working in the word “technolo-Jesus.”  Eventually, we get back to the original tune of the song, but not before a very telling bridge - “to face down your demons, you’ve got to free them” – which leads us back to the theme of moving towards acceptance.  The song returns to its original form towards the end, and we are treated to a blissful melody that is reminiscent of Kyuss’ short instrumental interludes on their legendary four albums from the early ‘90s. 

11.  Feel Good Hit of the Summer (Reprise)

Well, maybe “Straight Jacket Fitting” wasn’t the last song on the album.  Queens of the Stone Age are suckers for a good hidden track, and this album is no exception.  Only available on the vinyl version, the band actually dedicated an entire side of In Times New Roman… to what amounts to a running joke.  “Feel Good Hit of the Summer” was first featured (twice) on Rated R, but it also makes a quick reprise on Songs for the Deaf as a semi-hidden track, mostly because it was banned in England for vulgarity.  Now, they’ve made you get up off of your couch to flip their new record to Side D in order for you to hear Homme list drugs for twenty seconds.  Bravo, Josh.  You got me.

Overall Impressions

I should preface this by saying that I think most, if not all, of the albums Josh Homme has written over his career are fairly brilliant.  He joined Kyuss when he was 18 years old, a band that created the entire stoner rock genre, and never really looked back.  Combined with his catalog with Queens of the Stone Age and Them Crooked Vultures,  he is one of the most interesting, innovative, and truly genius musicians of the modern era – a true original.  Any project that he is involved with is always worth checking out. 

In Times New Roman… is not an exception to that rule – in fact, it adds to his legacy.  On the brink of his 50^th birthday, Homme and his bandmates have written an album that scintillates in every aspect.   The music is tremendous – though the bass stands out most, every member of the band sounds like they’re in top form.  Always the reluctant vocalist, Homme provides the consistent performance we’ve come to expect of him throughout the years in a variety of styles. The lyrics are clever, deep, emotional, and cathartic for the most part.  Josh does get a bit too horny sometimes but that comes with the QOTSA territory. 

There are parts where the album becomes a bit too weird or experimental for the common listener.  Tracks like “Time and Place” and “Sicily” will be polarizing to the casual rock fan. “Made to Parade” and “What the Peephole Say” turn into completely different songs by the time they conclude, which may cause you to ask yourself what just happened.  Each song on the album is unique and noticeably different from the others on the album.  Even if it doesn’t work in these rare occasions, most of the time, it does.  Despite these potential shortcomings, there is plenty here for anyone who loved Songs for the Deaf to mass consume.  Homme rarely, if ever, disappoints – In Times New Roman… continues to add to his legend.

More importantly, it seems that this album was an important step in Homme emerging from the darkness of the last five years.  Perhaps more than that, if you go back to him dying in an operating room in 2010.  When you reflect on the events in his life over the past 15 years, the picture of the trilogy of these albums comes a little more into focus.   …Like Clockwork details everything falling apart and the depression that follows.  Villains represents false optimism and trying to mask your pain.  In Times New Roman… is accepting yourself, saying I am who I am, and making the most of your time while you’re here. 

Album Score:  8/10 Stumpy the Pirates

Standout Tracks:   “Obscenery,” “Paper Machete,” “Negative Space,” “Carnavoyeur,” “What the Peephole Say,” “Straight Jacket Fitting”

Advice: Listen to anything that Josh Homme puts his hands on.  Pray for a new Them Crooked Vultures album, too.  John Paul Jones turned 78 this year.  We don’t have much time.