You need to hear this QOTSA track because it captures something special about where they were in late 2016. Josh Davis writes that this isn't just a new single — it’s also the band revealing its latest album, *I Don't Like The Way You Look At Me*, which they teased with teaser images and videos over months of secrecy. He describes the lead track as an explosive opener: heavy riffs that slow to a grinding halt before exploding again in a signature QOTSA move. The song opens on those distorted guitars and builds into something massive, and Davis calls it "uncompromising" and "grimy." It's one of their most aggressive recordings since *Era Vulgata* (2001), which is wild because the last time they put out a full LP was 13 years before this.
Davis also digs into why QOTSA always works as a band. He traces them back through their formation in 1987, their early San Diego bands like Puddle of Mudd (no joke!) and The Gizzards, all the way to *In the Aeroplane*, which they'd been touring for seven years at the time. Each song on this album has a story — "I Don't Like the Way You Look At Me" was written in one night after Joshua Schumi said he wanted something louder; "Fuzzy Cone" came from Dan Kosmo's guitar experiments that inspired several riffs; and Vic Nolasco contributed lyrics to three of the tracks. The album is essentially five bands in one, which is what makes QOTSA work. They don't sound like a cohesive unit — they sound like five individuals who happen to agree on everything simultaneously, which is exactly why their records feel unpredictable even after decades.
The Pitchfork piece also mentions the aesthetic shift: Josh Schumi designed new merch featuring stylized lettering and neon colors, and there are exclusive posters for every city on tour. The album art by Chris Sanclemente features a distorted portrait that looks like it was printed through several generations of xerox — perfect QOTSA move. But the real thing is the music itself; "I Don't Like the Way You Look At Me" ends with an extended jam that just keeps pushing harder and faster until there's nowhere left to go. Every detail in this feature makes you realize how much work went into what sounds effortless, which is exactly why we keep buying their records.
Source: https://pitchfork.com/story/listen-to-queens-of-the-stone-age-easy-street/
Davis also digs into why QOTSA always works as a band. He traces them back through their formation in 1987, their early San Diego bands like Puddle of Mudd (no joke!) and The Gizzards, all the way to *In the Aeroplane*, which they'd been touring for seven years at the time. Each song on this album has a story — "I Don't Like the Way You Look At Me" was written in one night after Joshua Schumi said he wanted something louder; "Fuzzy Cone" came from Dan Kosmo's guitar experiments that inspired several riffs; and Vic Nolasco contributed lyrics to three of the tracks. The album is essentially five bands in one, which is what makes QOTSA work. They don't sound like a cohesive unit — they sound like five individuals who happen to agree on everything simultaneously, which is exactly why their records feel unpredictable even after decades.
The Pitchfork piece also mentions the aesthetic shift: Josh Schumi designed new merch featuring stylized lettering and neon colors, and there are exclusive posters for every city on tour. The album art by Chris Sanclemente features a distorted portrait that looks like it was printed through several generations of xerox — perfect QOTSA move. But the real thing is the music itself; "I Don't Like the Way You Look At Me" ends with an extended jam that just keeps pushing harder and faster until there's nowhere left to go. Every detail in this feature makes you realize how much work went into what sounds effortless, which is exactly why we keep buying their records.
Source: https://pitchfork.com/story/listen-to-queens-of-the-stone-age-easy-street/