Queens of the Stone Age's 'Perfecth' turns illness and divorce into quieter rock

A quieter record after a hard stretch

Queens of the Stone Age's ninth studio album, Perfecth, has been reviewed across several European outlets in the days around 29 and 30 October 2026. The record comes after a difficult period for frontman Josh Homme, who is 53 and was diagnosed with cancer in 2022, according to N-tv. Reviewers link the change in tone to those years, which also brought a divorce from Brody Dalle, frontwoman of The Distillers. The Financial Times describes a period of ill-health and a stint in rehab that undid the band's older air of invulnerability. De Standaard adds that the cancer was successfully removed and that Homme needed urgent surgery again in 2024, which led the band to cancel its remaining concerts that year.

From the Paris catacombs to the studio

The road to Perfecth runs through Alive in the Catacombs, a 2025 mini-album of acoustic remakes recorded in the Paris catacombs. N-tv reports that Homme had a high fever during that shoot, that doctors advised against going ahead, and that he flew to the United States the day after filming for an operation. The tour was cancelled, and drummer Jon Theodore says the band did not know at the time whether it would continue afterwards. Before that, the 2023 album In Times New Roman... marked the band's return after six years, according to El Periódico. For Perfecth, Homme and bassist Michael Shuman produced the record, which was recorded between New Orleans and Los Angeles.

Songs and sound

The nine songs run 36 minutes, which makes Perfecth the shortest of the band's nine albums, according to the Financial Times. The opening track, It's Only Love, is built on violins and a drumless start, and Homme sings about detachment from life over a dramatic drumbeat. Easy Street, the first single, rests on an acoustic guitar, handclaps and backing vocals from country singer Nikki Lane. Sunday is a new version of a song Iggy Pop recorded for the collaborative album Post Pop Depression, and it includes a voice from Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters. According to NRC, Homme compares the track to 1970s French disco. Where the Goth Girls At? builds steadily with grunge guitars and violins, while Insignificant Other carries a funky falsetto and a Wurlitzer organ, according to Volkskrant.

Critical verdicts

De Standaard gives the album four stars out of five and argues that vulnerability has become a form of rock 'n' roll for Homme. The review points to a lyric in which he sings that he needs help, and it treats the album as a record where he drops the armour he once wore on stage.

“I admit, I need help”

Volkskrant calls Perfecth the most versatile Queens of the Stone Age album so far, and it credits the record's looser structure for its warmth. El Periódico finds the band less imperial than before but still magnetic, with a sound that keeps its link to the louder stoner-rock roots. N-tv says the band returns more vital than the past years would have suggested. The Financial Times notes that Homme's sweetly toned head voice now outweighs his harder, chest-based holler on the album.