Queens of the Stone Age have released another taste of their forthcoming record, looking back to teenage suburban life for inspiration. The song, titled "Where The Goth Girls At?", is the third track to arrive ahead of their ninth studio album, Perfecth, which lands on October 30. Following earlier cuts "Insignificant Other" and "Easy Street", the release continues to outline a project centered on the impulses of affection. Frontman Josh Homme revisits his formative years in Southern California here, exploring how adolescent desire quickly turns into a desperate urge to impress.
Rather than sticking purely to familiar desert rock blueprints, the band widens the arrangement on the new cut. Lean, understated guitar figures carry the verses before opening into a heavy, surging chorus, reinforced by horn and string sections that give the production an unexpected orchestral weight. At its foundation, the song pulls from a very specific memory from Homme's youth in a Palm Desert suburb. He spent his younger years observing the teenagers running the local cosmetic counters, transfixed by the goth employees at JCPenney who spent their shifts giving makeovers to elderly customers. Watching that clash of worlds made a lasting impression on him, revealing where he wanted to be. Homme recalled that realization with a grin, asking, "Teenage love, ain't it grand?"
To accompany the track, the band turned to directors Christopher Gruse and Tony Wolski, who previously directed the clip for "Easy Street". Staged inside an abandoned power plant, the surreal video watches an industrial space gradually succumb to a rising pool of black ink. Comedian Steve Agee, dancer Scarlett Kapella, and singer Lou Lou Safran all make guest appearances alongside members of the group. Throughout the shoot, the central goth figures carry themselves with complete authority, taking full control of the environment and systematically transforming everyone they meet into their ultimate form.
The song fits naturally into the thematic scope of Perfecth, which follows the band's 2023 release In Times New Roman. Across nine tracks, the record examines affection through the lenses of family, friendship, and romantic partners both significant and insignificant. The title itself comes from Homme's deliberate adjustment of a word he treats with suspicion, arguing that genuine perfection does not exist. He modified the spelling so it reads like a joke when shared in casual company, yet carries a much heavier weight in quiet isolation. Visually and conceptually, the album takes inspiration from Kintsugi, the traditional Japanese practice of using gold to repair cracks in broken ceramics.
The steady rollout arrives alongside a demanding tour itinerary. Queens of the Stone Age wrap their stint opening for Foo Fighters on September 26 in Las Vegas, playing just two days after an appearance at Bourbon & Beyond on September 24. From there, the international schedule expands quickly. On October 24, the group will play their first show in Iceland since 2005, with subsequent stops planned across Singapore, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. A joint date alongside Interpol in Mexico City is also on the calendar for next year.
The extensive run follows recent comments from Homme regarding corporate interference at live events, where he pushed back against outside entities trying to enforce arbitrary rules inside concert venues. That friction between corporate regulations and live rock performance remains an ongoing battle, but songs like "Where The Goth Girls At?" show Queens of the Stone Age mending their fractures entirely on their own terms.
