Queens of the Stone Age have unveiled the new single “Easy Street.” The song’s official release comes after its performance as part of the band’s “Catacombs” tour, which saw a theatrical staging of the band’s material over four medleys.
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“Easy Street,” featuring a guest vocal from Nikki Lane, is a dusty, spacey campfire song, replete with acoustic guitars and handclaps. The lyrics are cheeky and full of wit and self-awareness, poking fun at frontman Josh Homme’s troubled and well-documented past with equal parts humor and serious reflection. When the woozy stargazing synths come in for the backend of the song, you can practically see the glinting sparks from a campfire carried up by the rising smoke into the starry air.
Homme stated, “It’s kind of a funny song. It’s like hitting your funny bone, where it’s funny because it hurts and it hurts because it’s funny. You’re serious, but it’s funny. We made it the way you’d make a demo. No click track, mistakes left in. It speeds up, it slows down, the claps aren’t great, but they’re not bad, and a bad clap adds this human thing you can’t fake. It’s not just about silliness. It’s about understanding the imperfection of your life. The song, like your life, is in the mistakes. Its imperfections are unbeatable.”
The QOTSA frontman has appeared on two other recent singles, “Snakes for Dinner” by Mastodon and “Faded Blue Jeans” by Shania Twain, both released within a week of each other.
Queens of the Stone Age are currently preparing for a North American stadium tour supporting Foo Fighters this August. Get tickets here.
Watch the music video for “Easy Street” below.
