Band:	Queens Of The Stone Age
Album:	In Times New Roman...
Style:	Stoner rock, Stoner metal
Release date:	June 2023

01. Obscenery
02. Paper Machete
03. Negative Space
04. Time & Place
05. Made To Parade
06. Carnavoyeur
07. What The Peephole Say
08. Sicily
09. Emotion Sickness
10. Straight Jacket Fitting

Not the feelgood hit of the summer. 

A lot can happen in six years; least to say, Josh Homme has had some controversial moments in the recent past. Coming out the other side of this, Queens Of The Stone Age return with an album that flew low under the radar in In Times New Roman..., one that seems almost as much a public therapy session as it does an album. These events reflect in the music and create the darkest record the band have put their name to, as the negative energy and bitterness seeps into every pore of In Times New Roman..., creating a pervasive and dark mood that is charming as it is addictive. 

In Times New Roman... is certainly not the feelgood hit of the summer, with Homme seemingly drawing the bedroom curtains shut and sitting in the dark, instead of soundtracking doing peyote in the desert: "Negative Space", indeed. This however does not mean that In Times New Roman... is a bad album by any stretch, just one that focuses on a previously less explored part of the band's sound. The opening "Obscenery" kicks proceedings off on a strong foot, with the following four tracks giving you the stoner fix that only the Queens know how to do. 

"Time & Place" is the highlight of the record, with its junky guitars having a charm that combines the band's upbeat sound with the album's dark edge. "Made To Parade" follows up with a charming, wonky-sounding organ that hits the spot. The closing tandem of "Emotion Sickness" and "Straight Jacket Fitting" see the album end on an equally strong note. 

In Times New Roman... is another strong-sounding record, with the album balancing each element in the band's sonic brew to ensure it is potent and audible. Homme's subdued charm shines through even when restrained by the song, with his voice cutting through the instrumental shape of the song. 

All this pervasive broodiness does manifest in too many mid-paced songs for its own good, with Queens Of The Stone Age sticking to slower tempos to the point of songs feeling like dirges, droning and feeling monotonous in the malaise. "Carnavoyeur" and "Sicily" are good examples of this; while the tracks surrounding them are in a similar vein, these two cuts lack much in the way of a hook to help separate them from the crowd. While the band have produced the odd slower and more subdued song before, it has often been the exception to the rule, with "Kalopsia" on ...Like Clockwork working because it is surrounded by other more upbeat tracks, so it acts as a palette cleanser rather than the main attraction. 

It also does make me realize that I prefer the more upbeat and driving tracks in the band's catalogue, where the song is driven by a riff that powers it forward, like "Love Me Like You Used To Do", something largely absent on In Times New Roman.... This ultimately depends on your personal taste and preferences, but the lack of much balance between these two elements in the band's sound will likely alienate some parts of the band's fanbase. 

In Times New Roman... is a good album, one that explores an otherwise niche part of QOTSA's sound and makes it the centrepiece; this shake-up may well shake a few fans off, as it lacks much in the way of the band's prior charm, but those who are able to hang on have an album that is interesting, if not as gripping as the band's prior work.