New Song: Queens Of The Stone Age Return With “Easy Street” Featuring Nikki Lane… A Ballad, Of Sorts?
Josh Homme’s band Queens Of The Stone Age have returned with a new song, “Easy Street,” that features Nikki Lane of outlaw country fame on vocals. I’m sort of used to first singles from these guys that rock me out of my chair like “The Way You Used To Do,” so I was gobsmacked to hear an atmospheric ballad.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I was late to the QOTSA bandwagon. It wasn’t until 2013 when I heard a local DJ put on their then-new album …Like Clockwork and play it in its entirety (which was so old school radio, that never happens anymore like when I was in high school), that I realized I was into the QOTSA. It was their sixth album…where had these guys been all my life?
Oddly, getting into the QOTSA actually is what led me to Iggy Pop when Josh Homme produced Iggy’s Post Pop Depression. It’s a weird route to take to get into either artist, but I digress. After hearing …Like Clockwork, I went crashing back through the Queens’ fabulous back catalog from Rated R to Lullabies To Paralyze. I guess you can say, I dig the QOTSA.
We last heard from Josh and the lads in 2023 with their album In Times New Roman… That was another album we dug down here at B&V. Of late the Queens have been taking four to six years between albums so count me in as doubly surprised to hear from them so soon. And with a ballad, no less.
As of yet, there has been no announcement of a new QOTSA album, but here’s to hoping. We’re having quite a year of rock n roll this year. It seems lately the shittier the times we live in the better the music…
This new song, as mentioned, is a ballad. I know Josh has been in the news with a messy divorce and allegations of abuse. The lyrics of this song seem to be an acknowledgement of those experiences. I was rather astounded at the lyrics quite frankly, “The sound of your voice and the things that you say, Just shut up and fuck me or shut up and go away, You drive me crazy for sure but I can do that myself.”
There are illusions to drinking and violence. Specifically on violence, “Violence is never the answer you say,
I question how he’s not been punched in the face, I’m not like that anymore, been dead a long time.” Um, Josh, violence isn’t ever the answer. I’m a lover not a fighter.
The track floats in on a cloud and then the gentle strumming of a guitar begins. I know nothing about Nikki Lane but I dig her harmony vocal here. Josh sounds regretful on the tune. The guitar solo is this rubbery, elastic, bit of wonderful. It’s the sound of a man who’s done bad things and he’s a pretty far distance from “Easy Street.”
Here’s a link to a sample:
“I don’t believe in luck, so you can have mine… drinking don’t help but it blocks the help out…” Man, that leaves a mark. I don’t know what to think about the allegations against Homme but this track reads as a confession of sorts. It’s a very striking tune. The video is even more so.
I do still dig the QOTSA and hope we’ve got a new album from these guys in 2026. We’ve gotten so many great LPs this year from The Stones, McCartney, Ringo, Jack White and The Dirty Knobs to name but a few. And it seems the rock n roll is gonna keep coming, thankfully.
Take care of each other out there… and uh, don’t hit anybody…or head butt anybody. Not cool.
Cheers!