Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme Reflects on Grief, Talks ‘In Times New Roman’

Grief, struggles, darkness. We all touch those emotions at some point. All of them are swirling in the background of In Times New Roman, the eighth and latest album from Queens of the Stone Age.

Speaking with Zane Lowe, host of Apple Music 1’s flagship show, Josh Homme broke it all down for a deep, long contemplation on hardship and the loss of nearest and dearest, a bunch that includes the late Anthony Bourdain, Mark Lanegan and Taylor Hawkins.

On the music side, he says of the new album, which dropped at midnight, “you’re chasing a good feeling. And then the question is, what are you gonna do over that. What are you going to sing, are you going to sing? But it does start with chasing a feeling. Just trying to catch up with a good feeling.”

The singer and guitarist, who recently confirmed he was recovering from surgery to remove cancer, the latest obstacle in a particularly difficult stretch that has included a very public divorce and ongoing custody battle.

“I’ve taken a step further,” he tells Lowe, “it’s like when you’re in moments when you think, I’m not going to make it.” He talks of facing a metaphorical brick wall “in a multitude of situations in a tight timeframe.” But, he continues, “I’m also thankful for that too because making it through told me that I can make it through. I also would say that to somebody else. Just try to make it through, and when you do, you’ll know it’s true. You’ve just gotta keep living.”

In Times New Roman, out through Matador Records, spans 10 tracks and includes the previously-released cuts “Paper Machete,” “Carnavoyeur,” “’Emotion Sickness” and more. It’s the followup to 2017’s Villains, which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.

“I think this is the first time I didn’t want to make a record, but I was dealing with a lot of stuff in my personal life,” Homme recently told Revolver. “We recorded a lot of stuff. I think I was doing it because when I’m in trouble, this is what I do. This is where I go to get right.”

Stream In Times New Roman below.