Sam Hunt banks his eighth leader on Billboard's Country Airplay chart as "Breaking Up Was Easy in the 90's" climbs from No. 2 to No. 1 on the chart dated May 22. In the tracking week ending May 16, it increased by 18% to 30.1 million audience impressions, according to MRC Data.
Hunt wrote the song with Zach Crowell, Chris LaCorte, Josh Osborne and Ernest K. Smith.
On Hot Country Songs, which blends airplay, sales and streaming data, the track rises 5-4. It also drew 7.5 million U.S. streams (up 6%) and sold 1,800 downloads (up 7%) in the week ending May 13.
Hunt adds his third consecutive Country Airplay leader, after "Hard to Forget" reigned for a week last July and "Kinfolks" dominated for a frame in February 2020. The triumphant trio is from his second full-length, Southside, which bowed at No. 1 on Top Country Albums in April 2020.
He first topped Country Airplay with his debut hit "Leave the Night On" for a week in November 2014 and added three more one-week No. 1s from his debut LP Montevallo: "Take Your Time" (May 2015), "House Party" (September 2015) and "Make You Miss Me" (September 2016).
Hunt then led Country Airplay with his crossover smash "Body Like a Back Road" (also included on Southside) for three weeks in May 2017. The track dominated Hot Country Songs for 34 weeks starting that February.
Plus, Hunt claims the first song whose title calls out the '90s to hit No. 1 on Country Airplay, which itself began that decade, in January 1990. Two other such entries have hit the chart: Lauren Alaina's "Ladies in the '90s" (No. 40 peak, April 2019) and Walker Hayes' "90's Country" (No. 52, December 2018).
NEW TOP 10s Dylan Scott scores his third Hot Country Songs top 10 as "Nobody" lifts 12-8. It pushes 7-5 on Country Airplay, up by 8% to 22.7 million impressions, and jumped by 28% to 5.5 million streams and sold 1,000 downloads in the tracking week.
"Nobody" follows Scott's "Hooked," which peaked at No. 6 on Hot Country Songs and reached No. 2 on Country Airplay in September 2018. He first hit the Hot Country Songs top 10 with "My Girl," which peaked at No. 3 in August 2017 after leading Country Airplay for a week that July.
Plus, Jason Aldean's "Blame It on You" (Macon/Broken Bow) pushes 11-10 on Country Airplay, up by 11% to 18.7 million impressions, marking his 33rd top 10. It follows "Got What I Got," which became his 22nd No. 1 last October. Aldean, who first hit the top 10 with "Hicktown" in 2005, is the 12th artist with at least 33 top 10s on the tally. George Strait leads with 61.
'TAPES' ON ALBUM CHARTS The Marfa Tapes, by Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert and Jon Randall, enters Top Country Albums at No. 7 with 14,000 equivalent album units (10,000 in album sales). The set, recorded in Marfa, Texas, also arrives at No. 1 on Americana/Folk Albums.
Lambert notches her eighth Top Country Albums top 10. Her previous seven entries, all solo sets, debuted at No. 1, a career-opening run second only to Carrie Underwood's nine straight leaders in as many appearances.
Ingram adds his second Top Country Albums top 10, after This Is It opened and peaked at No. 4 in 2007.
Randall makes his first Top Country Albums visit. As an artist, his single "Cold Coffee Morning" dented Country Airplay in 1999. He's since produced three No. 1s on the chart: Dierks Bentley's "Am I the Only One" (2011) and "Living" (2019) and Parker McCollum's "Pretty Heart" last December.
On Americana/Folk Albums, Lambert and Randall chart their first entries, while Ingram earns his second, after Midnight Motel hit No. 9 in 2016.
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.
