Written by Beau Croxton
Queens of the Stone Age showcase variety with their delicately seductive ninth album Perfecth, leaning into balladry, vulnerability and directness as a consistent throughline.
This Friday October 30th, Queens of the Stone Age are back to deliver a very different experience on their ninth album. Perfecth was brought to life through numerous studios, timelines and locations, but was initially started in New Orleans after the band’s orchestra-infused Catacombs tour, just after Mardi Gras.
The press release for Perfecth likens the spirit of the album to Kintsugi, which is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by filling its cracks with gold. It holds the notion that what has been shattered is made more beautiful by the act of repair.
Similarly, the tunes on Perfecth resemble pieces of entirely different pottery that became bonded together with gold. It feels like a souped-up odds and ends type record, as many of the tracks date back to numerous previous album sessions. Nevertheless, the care and the craft is apparent in this group of intimate tunes, even if they feel like a misfit match.
Check out our track-by-track review for Queens of The Stone Age - Perfecth
“It’s Only Love” begins in a lo-fi, voice memo-esque state with acoustic guitars and light crooning, until drums open it into a moody atmosphere. Josh Homme hauntingly sings about throwing himself onto the tracks, as train sounds rumble.
The track’s strong suit is playing with dynamics. About halfway, the track is lifted by sweeping orchestrations that support Homme’s vocal solo moment; it’s a grand crescendo that brings it into a more captivating state.
“Insignificant Other” brings a swanky vibe that feels like a mellow echo of The Rolling Stones’ hit “Miss You” (which the band has endlessly teased in live renditions of “Make It Wit Chu”). Its focus on love-gone-wrong is mostly convincing, though occasional lines like “from forever to for never” feel a bit too elementary for Homme’s usual wordplay. On the upside, the bridge of this tune is colossal; a sea of twangy guitars take off skyward among an army of haunting harmonies . The bridge is also a breakthrough for its author, as Homme declares “Letting go of you is beautiful”.
While the rock of “Where the Goth Girls At?” feels similar to the last two Queens’ records, there’s also a dash of Iggy’s The Idiot in its swagger, and Homme’s vocals carry a touch of late 70’s Bowie. On its chorus, Homme oddly couples his near death experience with other lyrics about “where the goth girls play”. But ultimately, it's a solid rocker and with an outro that provides quite a thrill on a more subdued album.
“Mono” is a strange, lo-fi waltz that feels about half as weird and casual as “Interludes with Ludes” from Them Crooked Vultures, except it replaces that brilliant creepiness with heartache, mystery and sonic experimentation. Although it feels slightly less essential and more transitional, die-hard Homme fans will certainly nerd out on specific elements.
“From the Cliffs” is a beautifully written and sincere love song. It’s a lovely, gentle and harmonic tune that feels very McCartney-esque. Despite it being the furthest from what Queens are known for, it's a tender album highlight and quite a great surprise.
QOTSA’s cover of Iggy Pop’s “Sunday” sounds totally stellar in this group of songs, but its inclusion feels somewhat like karaoke, as the arrangements are just about the same as the original version. The fact that “Sunday” succeeds as such a massive standout (in almost all of its original arrangements) on this LP is a bit conflicting, as it serves as a testament to the peak power of past glories. Unfortunately, it also demonstrates how those glories overachieve a lot of what the best of Perfecth has to offer. I’m a sucker for Homme’s spooky Bowie impression, so I do enjoy his vocals here, but 9 times out of 10 I’d rather hear Iggy’s classic rendition with Josh, Dean Fertita and Matt Helders on Post Pop Depression… I might just have to go and rinse that fantastic record for the 500th time.
“Easy Street” moves with ease and acoustic flair while boasting soothing choruses and harmonies from Nikki Lane. Instrumentally, it rides on the coattails of a classic rock familiarity. Homme’s hooks paired with Lane’s harmonies are effectively charming, while the psychedelic E-bow guitar outro definitely lands well in context of the tracklist.
“Phantom Limb” is a notable album highlight that rides high on a moody, 90s acoustic-grunge sound, recalling vibes from Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged mixed with Like Clockwork. Much of Homme’s classic, trademark vocal charm is in top form; his descending choruses and harmonies should be very satisfying to anyone who deeply loves QOTSA. The instrumentation occasionally feels a bit empty, but towards the end, the band leans into colorful instrumental touches that really live up the “Phantom” title.
“Run Away From the Mob” is another consecutive highlight that has a more classic Homme-feel. Understandably, as Josh tracked the song with Dave Grohl during the Like Clockwork Sessions and kept it in the vault till it was finished for Perfecth. It revolves around backing vocals that repeat “runaway” refrains similar to “Smalltown Boy” by Bronski Beat, albeit delivered in a delightfully spooky fashion. The brash and noisy rock-out outro totally hits the spot. Even if it's not exactly mindblowing, it's great ramped-up closer for the mellow and reflective Perfecth.
It’s always great to have new music from Queens of the Stone Age, and Perfecth is ultimately an enjoyable and consistent Homme-led record with a handful of highlights. The arrangements sound nicely considered, Homme’s sense of melody is sharp, the directness is effective and his charisma to carry the material at hand is often in fine form. But when you know what this great group is capable of, it's hard to not feel like Perfecth is a bit more slight than their other records. Even with the group’s intended subtle approach here, the instrumental royalty that surrounds Homme still feels underutilized, as there are numerous tunes with wide open spaces.
The range on the record is definitely great, from the powerhouse outro of “Goth Girls”, to the sugary love balladry of “From The Cliffs”. The B-side runs very strong, but the build and arc of a full album listen doesn't feel as satisfying as I might hope after the last note is over. The urge to relisten just isn’t as strong, and that’s notable when the group has a stellar catalog of highly replayable LPs.
What the album does beautifully is it breaks a pattern in the group’s discography that will allow the band to not be pigeonholed. Perfecth allows a future for the group where they can be more unpredictable, and it showcases the subtle glory of Homme’s more vulnerable and direct songwriting. Perfecth leaves me with appreciation for these subdued cuts that range from fine to occasionally fantastic, but it also leaves me equally hungry for him to let the Queens loose with creativity and ambition on the next record.
Perfecth feels like a decked-out pitstop en route to a bigger destination. There’s plenty to enjoy while you take it easy, but there is a strong feeling that the direction of their next effort may be even more realized as a group. It's far from perfect, but perhaps it's just Perfecth enough to do a solid job showcasing a different side of the Queens of the Stone Age.
Occult Highlights: “Sunday” , “Phantom Limb”, “Run Away From the Mob”, “From The Cliffs”, “Where the Goth Girls At?”
7.6/10
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