Michael Shuman Talks Bass, Texture, and Queens of the Stone Age’s “Perfecth”
Queens of the Stone Age have released their ninth studio album, Perfecth, which collects nine songs mapping “different forms of love: of family, friends, and others.” The group tracked during sessions from New Orleans to Los Angeles.
“Every song sounds like it’s from a different world,” says guitarist/vocalist Josh 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.”
Perfecth is anchored by bassist Michael Shuman, who also co-produced it with Homme. He says the band’s Alive in the Catacombs album and tour experience reframed their approach this go-around.
“We talked about this idea of it almost being like a mixtape,” he told Mixdown Mag. “It stemmed from, after the Catacombs we really reimagined a lot of our older songs, hearing them stripped down and broken down. We started to see things in these songs that we didn’t appreciate before, especially lyrically. So we really wanted to lean into that and focus on each song individually and give it its due.”
Shuman plays key bass on the opening track, “It’s Only Love,” and bass on five of the other tracks. (Homme plays bass on “Mono.”) The band is all about variety and textures, and Shuman reached back in his past for “Where the Goth Girls At?”
“On ‘Goth Girls,’ we were at Sound City, and on a Queens record, I was yet to play a P bass through Rat pedal,” he said. “We put two amps in the hallway, I think it was an (Ampeg) SVT. We rarely use that with Queens, but that’s kinda like my old teenage punk gear setup, so it was nice to do that again. And even playing it now when we’re rehearsing, it feels old school. It feels like me listening to Jesus Lizard records and wanting to get that sound. So that was something I never thought we would do on a Queens record.”
Hear the thunderous low end on the song:
Perfecth is available now on CD, vinyl and as a digital download (Apple Music, and Amazon Music). Shuman and Queens of the Stone Age have an extensive tour to support it. See below for details.
Perfecth Track List:
- 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
Queens of the Stone Age 2026-2027 Tour Dates:
| Date | Location | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 11/25 | Tokyo, Japan | Zepp Haneda |
| 11/26 | Nagoya, Japan | Zepp Nagoya |
| 11/28 | Osaka, Japan | Zepp Namba |
| 12/02 | Singapore | Star Theatre |
| 12/05 | Hong Kong, China | Clockenflap |
| 12/08 | Adelaide, Australia | The Drive * |
| 12/11 | Hobart, Australia | My State Bank Arena * |
| 12/13 | Melbourne, Australia | Rod Laver Arena * |
| 12/15 | Sydney, Australia | Afterpay Arena * |
| 12/16 | Newcastle, Australia | Newcastle Entertainment Center * |
| 12/18 | Brisbane, Australia | Brisbane Entertainment Center * |
| 12/20 | Auckland, New Zealand | Spark Arena * |
| 03/06 | Mexico City, Mexico | Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes ~ |
| 03/12-14 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | Lollapalooza |
| 03/12-14 | Santiago, Chile | Lollapalooza |
| 03/19-21 | São Paulo, Brazil | Lollapalooza |
| 05/01 | San Diego, CA | Viejas Arena ^ |
| 05/02 | Inglewood, CA | Kia Forum ^ |
| 05/04 | Oakland, CA | Oakland Arena ^ |
| 05/05 | Sacramento, CA | Golden 1 Center ^ |
| 05/07 | Seattle, WA | Climate Pledge Arena ^ |
| 05/09 | Portland, OR | Moda Center ^ |
| 05/11 | Salt Lake City, UT | Delta Center ^ |
| 05/12 | Morrison, CO | Red Rocks ^ |
| 05/14 | Saint Paul, MN | Grand Casino Arena ^ |
| 05/15 | Milwaukee, WI | American Family Insurance Amphitheater ^ |
| 05/16 | Rosemont, IL | Allstate Arena ^ |
| 05/18 | Indianapolis, IN | Gainbridge Fieldhouse Arena ^ |
| 05/19 | Columbus, OH | Nationwide Arena ^ |
| 05/21 | Pittsburgh, PA | Petersen Events Center ^ |
| 05/22 | Detroit, MI | Little Caesars Arena ^ |
| 05/24 | Boston, MA | TD Garden ^ |
+ with Virgin Orchestra
* with Primus and Tropical Fuck Storm
^ with Pixies and Wheelchair Sports Camp
~ with Interpol
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
