NEW RELEASES
Jennifer Lopez’s long-awaited new album, This Is Me…Now, has a release date.
J. Lo’s ninth studio album will arrive on Feb. 16, 2024, through Nuyorican/BMG, she announced Monday morning (Nov. 27).
It’s the star’s first full-length solo release in nearly a decade. Her last album, 2014’s A.K.A., reached No. 8 on the Billboard 200 and featured Billboard Hot 100-charting singles “I Luh Ya Papi,” “First Love” and “Booty.”
This Is Me…Now is the sister album to 2002’s This Is Me…Then, which was dedicated to her partner at the time, Ben Affleck. Lopez and Affleck have since rekindled their romance, and the couple married in 2022.
The new album is written and executive produced by Lopez and Rogét Chayed, along with Jeff “Gitty” Gitelman and HitBoy. Additional songwriter-producers are Angel Lopez, Drew Love, INK and Prince Chrishan. BMG’s Brandon Riester serves as A&R.
The first single fans will hear from This Is Me…Now is titled “Can’t Get Enough,” and it’ll be here in the new year, on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024; click here to pre-save the song. “Can’t Get Enough” will mark Lopez’s first release under her recording and publishing partnership with BMG.
On the same day of Lopez’s new album release, This Is Me…Now: The Film, which has been acquired by Amazon MGM Studios, will become available globally on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories. She first teased the project over the weekend, sharing an 18-second clip with fans.
The Nuyorican Productions and Dave Meyers-directed film is described as a “narrative-driven, intimate, reflective, sexy, funny, fantastical and highly visual musical reimagining of her publicly scrutinized love life.” J. Lo’s husband Affleck appears in the writing credits with the star and Matt Walton.
Additional This Is Me…Now: The Film credits include story by Lopez, Meyers and Chris Shafer; produced by Nathan Scherrer; and executive produced by Lopez, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Benny Medina and Courtney Baxter on behalf of Nuyorican Productions.
Lopez, of course, stars in the This Is Me…Now film, and additional cast members are yet to be announced.
NEW RELEASES
Queens Of The Stone Age have shared fresh information about their upcoming album ‘Perfecth’ alongside the smooth, seductive groove of their latest single, ‘Insignificant Other’.
The record follows their widely praised 2023 album ‘In Times New Roman’ and is scheduled for release on October 30 through Matador Records. The date arrives after the group previously hinted that the album could be released in September with a graphic announcement video.
After introducing the project with the fan favorite ‘Easy Street’, the band have now offered another preview of their ninth studio album. ‘Insignificant Other’ is a relaxed and airy track that carries forward the easygoing rhythm heard on the classic ‘Make It Wit Chu’.
“It’s a song about distance,” said frontman Josh Homme. “About how someone can be your entire world only to simply vanish. And about the strange vertigo of being on the receiving end of that.”
The new song and album reveal are accompanied by a humorous video directed by Chapman Baehler. It stars viral dog Big Chongus as a representation of everything considered “perfecth”. The playful, canine focused video also includes Ruby Homme, Max Homme, Pumpkin Van Leeuwen, Isabella Puppolini (Izzy) Van Leeuwen and Reesa Shuman. Watch it below.
The idea behind the album’s name comes from Homme’s belief that the word “perfect” has never felt truthful because genuine perfection does not exist. He therefore invented a new term that better expresses the concept.
“Nothing in this world is perfect, but everything seems to be ‘perfecth’,” said Homme. “And that title is funny when you’re in a group, but it ain’t so funny when you’re alone.”
Another major influence on the record is Kintsugi, the Japanese practice of restoring broken pottery by highlighting its cracks with gold. Homme explained that the technique shows how “what has been shattered is made more beautiful, not less, by the act of repair”. The concept connected with the band after its members reached a place of “hard-won clarity” together. Across nine tracks, the album explores several kinds of love involving “family, friends, and others both significant and insignificant”.
The project also contains a newly recorded version of ‘Sunday’, originally featured on Homme’s collaborative album with Iggy Pop, ‘Post Pop Depression’. Released in 2016, the acclaimed record also included Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders and QOTSA member Dean Fertita.
Homme produced ‘Perfecth’ alongside bassist Michael ‘Mikey Shoes’ Shuman. Recording sessions took place in several locations, ranging from New Orleans to Los Angeles.
“Every song sounds like it’s from a different world,” added Homme. “And that’s on purpose, because it’s trying to stitch together all these emotions revolving around love, lust, foolishness, and the sort of wisdom that comes as a gift from all that.”
Queens Of The Stone Age will issue ‘Perfecth’ through Matador Records on October 30. Preorder the album here and view its cover art and complete song list below.
Queens Of The Stone Age announce new album ‘Perfecth’
‘It’s Only Love’
‘Insignificant Other’
‘Where The Goth Girls At?’
‘Mono’
‘From The Cliff’
‘Sunday’
‘Easy Street’
‘Phantom Limb’
‘Run Away From The Mob’
The project was additionally shaped by the band’s experience of delivering a minimalist performance inside the historic Parisian Catacombs in 2024. The unusual event was documented through a related concert movie and a live record. NME awarded Alive In The Catacombs four stars, describing the release as a “moving and meditative concert doc”.
Following the Catacombs appearance, Queens Of The Stone Age embarked on a series of intimate concerts across the UK, Europe and North America. A string section joined the musicians throughout the run.
The last UK performance took place at London’s Royal Albert Hall in October. The group presented unreleased music during the stripped back and emotional show, with Matt Berry also joining them onstage. Footage and photographs from the evening can be viewed here.
In 2024, Homme pledged to “roll his sleeves up” and avoid making listeners wait so long for another Queens Of The Stone Age album. Six years passed between the arrival of 2017’s ‘Villains’ and ‘In Times New Roman…’.
Queens Of The Stone Age. CREDIT: Andreas Neumann
“I think we should be making something,” Homme explained at the time. “The mantra of the last five years was, ‘It won’t be long now!’ That needs to pertain to making things too. I certainly think we should make more, faster-er, better-er.”
Having recently completed UK and European stadium concerts as support for System Of A Down, QOTSA are now playing North American dates as special guests of Foo Fighters. Headlining appearances in Iceland, Japan, Australia and other locations will follow. Visit the band’s official channels for ticket details and further information.
