THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In Times New Roman… is raw, at times brutal and not recommended for the faint of heart. And yet, it’s perhaps the most beautiful and definitely the most rewarding album in Queens Of The Stone Age’s discography. Founder Joshua Homme’s most acerbic lyrics to date are buoyed by the instantly identifiable QOTSA sonic signature, expanded and embellished with new and unprecedented twists in virtually every song. With In Times New Roman… we see that sometimes one needs to look beneath scars and scabs to see beauty, and sometimes the scabs and scars are the beauty.
Feeling a bit out of place, and having difficulty finding music they could relate to, the members of QOTSA did as they are wont to do: In Times New Roman… is the sound of a band creating the music its own members want to hear, while giving the rest of us a sonic forum in which to congregate. “The world’s gonna end in a month or two,” sings Homme, begging the question: What do you want to do with the time you’ve got left? Homme, Troy Van Leeuwen, Dean Fertita, Michael Shuman and Jon Theodore may not be able to save us, but they’re giving us a place to ride it out.
The first offering from In Times New Roman… was Emotion Sickness, which wraps listeners in a warm blanket of patented QOTSA hypnotic choruses and off kilter grooves — punctuated by tinges of psychic turbulence. The past few years have been tough on everyone, and it’s no secret the members of QOTSA have endured their share of heartbreak and loss. But who amongst us hasn’t dealt with a recent bout (or two) of emotion sickness?
Meanwhile, Carnavoyeur finds QOTSA weaving more subtle shades of sinister: Mesmerizing washes of strings cascade atop the band’s trademark rock solid foundation, while Homme’s mellifluent vocals swaddle the listener with their warm and all too familiar tones of acceptance and resignation: “When there’s nothing I can do, I smile…” While the stunning, honeyed melodies of Carnavoyeur are undeniably, well, really pretty, this is still Queens Of The Stone Age, and there’s no shortage of viscera-rumbling drums and bass or spine-chilling guitar interplay.
Paper Machete, an instantly identifiable QOTSA future classic, sure to resound with casual fans and die hards alike. Lyrically, the track finds Homme’s trademark rapier wit at its most acerbic. If the previously released Carnavoyeur signaled resignation and acceptance, Paper Machete is the collision of sheer, raw force that gets you there
In Times New Roman… was recorded and mixed at Homme’s own Pink Duck (RIP), with additional recording at Shangri-La. The album was produced by Queens Of The Stone Age and mixed by Mark Rankin. The artwork and double LP gatefold packaging were designed by longtime collaborator Boneface.”
