David Emery Online

Easy Street by Queens of the Stone Age

16 July 2026

Josh Homme is taller than you might think. Sure, he has a reputation for being a big guy, but somehow in person he manages to be greater than his actual height. It’s as though the rest of the world has been shrunk around him. I met him a handful of times several lifetimes ago when Queens of the Stone Age put out their first record on Matador, and his presence in a room was never anything less than significant.

Even in the presence of other luminaries he somehow always managed to steal the spotlight. I was once having a conversation with Josh in the hallways of Later… with Jools Holland, when Jimmy Page strode over and joined us. Whilst I was midway through having an out of body experience — a common occurrence if you knock around the music industry for as long as I have — I noticed that as other people filed past us, no one was paying attention to Jimmy. All eyes were on Josh.

Josh Homme isn’t just tall, though. He has range.

This new Queens track — still on Matador — is quite unlike almost everything in their back catalogue that proceeds it. It’s not heavy, but it is quite beautiful. I’ll be honest, it’s been quite a while since I’ve been excited by a new Queens record, but it’s a nice feeling to revisit.