{"id":6331,"date":"2026-07-15T03:00:30","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T22:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=6331"},"modified":"2026-07-15T03:00:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T22:00:30","slug":"its-like-hitting-your-funny-bone-where-its-funny-because-it-hurts-and-it-hurts-because-its-funny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=6331","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s like hitting your funny bone, where it\u2019s funny because it hurts and it hurts because it\u2019s funny"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/artists\/queens-of-the-stone-age\">Queens Of The Stone Age<\/a> have returned with a new single, \u2018Easy Street\u2019 \u2013 check it out below.<\/p>\n<p>The psychedelic, jaunty track marks <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/artists\/josh-homme\">Josh Homme<\/a> and co\u2019s first material since 2023, following on from their eighth studio album, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/reviews\/album\/queens-of-the-stone-age-in-times-new-room-review-3455962\">\u2018In Times New Roman\u2026\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The band first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/music\/watch-queens-of-the-stone-age-debut-new-song-easy-street-and-air-deep-cuts-and-rarities-as-they-kick-off-the-catacombs-tour-setlist-footage-3897066\">debuted the song live last autumn as part of their \u2018Catacombs\u2019 tour<\/a>. \u2018Easy Street\u2019 later became a regular fixture on their setlist, securing itself as a fan favourite.<\/p>\n<p>Today (Tuesday July 14), QOTSA have shared the official studio version of the tune via Matador. The serene yet rough-around-the-edges cut boasts acoustic guitar and psychedelic synths, while bringing some\u00a0withering wit.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Easy Street\u2019 features singer Nikki Lane, whose gravelly, raw vocals counter Homme\u2019s smoother lead delivery against the sparse instrumental. It was produced by the latter and bassist Michael Shuman.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s kind of a funny song. It\u2019s like hitting your funny bone, where it\u2019s funny because it hurts and it hurts because it\u2019s funny. You\u2019re serious, but it\u2019s funny,\u201d the Homme explained.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe made it the way you\u2019d make a demo. No click track, mistakes left in. It speeds up, it slows down, the claps aren\u2019t great, but they\u2019re not bad, and a bad clap adds this human thing you can\u2019t fake.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He continued: \u201cIt\u2019s not just about silliness. It\u2019s about understanding the imperfection of your life. The song, like your life, is in the mistakes. Its imperfections are unbeatable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Queens of the Stone Age - Easy Street (Official Video)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6gm9IWUuus0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u2018Easy Street\u2019 is accompanied by an official music video, directed by Tony Wolski and Christopher Gruse, and based on a story and idea by Homme.<\/p>\n<p>The film opens with a bruised and battered Homme attempting to outrun a motley crew of pursuers, including band members dressed as themselves, a Juggalo, a mall Santa, a leather enthusiast, and a fancy cowboy leading a tiny horse.<\/p>\n<p>But the story upends expectations with an unexpected twist that honours the very outsiders we often dismiss, per a press release.<\/p>\n<p>Upon the live debut of \u2018Easy Street\u2019 last year, some fans noted the stylistic change for Queens. One commented on the song\u2019s \u201cFlamenco vibe\u201d, with another saying it was \u201cmaybe the most catchy thing they played tonight\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>QOTSA are currently opening for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/music\/system-of-a-down-announce-uk-and-european-stadium-tour-playing-london-with-queens-of-the-stone-age-3891515\">System Of A Down on their UK and European stadium tour<\/a>. The two bands <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/reviews\/live\/system-of-a-down-queens-of-the-stone-age-tottenham-hotspur-stadium-london-review-photos-setlist-3956865\">played at London\u2019s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last night<\/a> (Monday July 13), and will return to the huge venue for a second show tomorrow (Wednesday July 15). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ticketmaster.co.uk\/system-of-a-down-tickets\/artist\/726146?irgwc=1&amp;utm_source=2862475-NME%20Networks%20Media%20Limited&amp;utm_medium=affiliate&amp;utm_campaign=2862475&amp;awtrc=&amp;clickId=UNVwQw38WxycT7fQVv30DVcHUkpwFj2Bm2kPwA0&amp;camefrom=CFC_BUYAT_2862475&amp;ircid=7559\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Find any remaining tickets here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier on the tour, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/music\/queens-of-the-stone-age-bring-back-era-vulgaris-deep-cuts-as-they-kick-european-tour-with-system-of-a-down-heres-what-they-played-3954034\">Queens dusted off some deep cuts from their 2007 album \u2018Era Vulgaris\u2019<\/a>, including the first airing of \u2018Run, Pig, Run\u2019 since 2008.<\/p>\n<p><a style=\"font-family: Verdana, BlinkMacSystemFont, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/music\/foo-fighters-reminded-of-why-we-love-and-are-forever-devoted-to-doing-this-on-new-single-asking-for-a-friend-as-they-share-new-music-and-announce-north-american-stadium-tour-buy-tickets-3901702\">The band will open for Foo Fighters on the North American leg of their \u2018Take Cover\u2019 stadium tour<\/a> later this summer.\u00a0<a style=\"font-family: Verdana, BlinkMacSystemFont, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/music\/queens-of-the-stone-age-announce-first-icelandic-show-since-2005-3952422\">QOTSA have announced their first Icelandic show since 2005 for this October<\/a>, too.<\/p>\n<p>They played a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/music\/queens-of-the-stone-age-to-play-gig-in-paris-catacombs-3772054\">stripped-back concert at the historic Parisian Catacombs back in 2024<\/a>, which was captured for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/music\/queens-of-the-stone-age-announce-alive-in-the-catacombs-live-movie-3862265\">an accompanying concert film<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/music\/queens-of-the-stone-age-announce-vinyl-and-audio-release-of-alive-in-the-catacombs-3868442\">live album<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/reviews\/film-reviews\/queens-of-the-stone-age-alive-in-the-catacombs-paris-and-before-review-3867538\"><em>NME<\/em>\u00a0gave\u00a0<em>Alive In The Catacombs<\/em>\u00a0a four-star review<\/a>, hailing it as a \u201cmoving and meditative concert doc\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Queens Of The Stone Age on overcoming hard times, a &quot;romance&quot; with Dave Grohl, and what&amp;apos;s next\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qBq0-baxRAc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Queens followed up the Catacombs show with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/music\/queens-of-the-stone-age-announce-intimate-2025-uk-and-european-the-catacombs-tour-including-londons-royal-albert-hall-3878372\">an intimate tour of the UK<\/a>, Europe and North America, where they were joined by a string section.<\/p>\n<p>The final UK date was held at London\u2019s Royal Albert Hall in October. Here, they aired new material and were joined by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/artists\/matt-berry\">Matt Berry<\/a>\u00a0for a stripped-back and emotional set \u2013\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/music\/watch-queens-of-the-stone-age-end-catacombs-tour-with-matt-berry-and-new-song-royal-albert-hall-setlist-3903723\">you can check out footage and photos from the show here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In 2024,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/music\/josh-homme-vows-to-roll-his-sleeves-up-so-next-queens-of-the-stone-age-album-doesnt-take-so-long-3777089\"> Homme promised to \u201croll his sleeves up\u201d so that the fans wouldn\u2019t have to wait so long for Queens Of The Stone Age\u2019s next record<\/a>. There was a six-year gap between 2017\u2019s<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/reviews\/queens-stone-age-villains-review-2128338\">\u00a0\u2018Villains\u2019<\/a> and \u2018In Times New Roman\u2026\u2019.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/features\/queens-of-the-stone-age-josh-homme-interview-times-new-roman-3556110\">Homme and bandmate Dean Fertita had previously talked to <em>NME<\/em> in late 2023 about the group, their personal battles and plans for the future<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think we should be making something,\u201d Homme explained at the time. \u201cThe mantra of the last five years was, \u2018It won\u2019t be long now!\u2019 That needs to pertain to making things too. I certainly think we should make more, faster-er, better-er.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n  fbq('consent', 'revoke');\n  fbq('init', '370979561341328');\n  fbq('track', 'PageView');\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Queens Of The Stone Age have returned with a new single, \u2018Easy Street\u2019 \u2013 check it out below. The psychedelic, jaunty track marks Josh Homme and co\u2019s first material since 2023, following on from their eighth studio album, \u2018In Times New Roman\u2026\u2019. The band first debuted the song live last autumn as part of their&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/QueensOfTheStoneAgeEasyStreetsinglerelease-news-story.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6331"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6331\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}