Desert Sessions

Ending a 16-year hiatus since its last installment, the most mythical, longest running rock n roll mixtape odyssey in existence, Desert Sessions present Vol. 11 & 12 (respectively Arrivederci Despair and Tightwads & Nitwits & Critics & Heels)

<a href="spotify:artist:4pejUc4iciQfgdX6OKulQn" data-name="Queens of the Stone Age">Queens of the Stone Age</a> founder and Desert Sessions ringleader/producer <a href="spotify:artist:03xb2BUdIFzuRQ6o88yfCB" data-name="Josh Homme">Josh Homme</a> recorded the songs in a six-day span in December 2018, as always at the Rancho De La Luna studios in Joshua Tree, California. The collaborators this time included:

<a href="spotify:artist:4DqeVw9M195lj22iU1elxD" data-name="Billy Gibbons">Billy Gibbons</a> (<a href="spotify:artist:2AM4ilv6UzW0uMRuqKtDgN" data-name="ZZ Top">ZZ Top</a>)
<a href="spotify:artist:0tE6ZxkqBBVVhtRZbENTQp" data-name="Stella Mozgawa">Stella Mozgawa</a> (<a href="spotify:artist:3AmgGrYHXqgbmZ2yKoIVzO" data-name="Warpaint">Warpaint</a>)
<a href="spotify:artist:6prqlx3RqGdTYsXANXDCR1" data-name="Jake Shears">Jake Shears</a> (<a href="spotify:artist:3Y10boYzeuFCJ4Qgp53w6o" data-name="Scissor Sisters">Scissor Sisters</a>)
<a href="spotify:artist:6gs7R5JcBte7Hv1ZbHC2D9" data-name="Mike Kerr">Mike Kerr</a> (<a href="spotify:artist:2S5hlvw4CMtMGswFtfdK15" data-name="Royal Blood">Royal Blood</a>)
<a href="spotify:artist:7t9RsgURYQoZ48OcbUuspM" data-name="Carla Azar">Carla Azar</a> (<a href="spotify:artist:7HizNYe1mSfmvbXlx3la3m" data-name="Autolux">Autolux</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4FZ3j1oH43e7cukCALsCwf" data-name="Jack White">Jack White</a>)
<a href="spotify:artist:1oM1vgebNTCZmVYwC3YYl8" data-name="Les Claypool">Les Claypool</a> (<a href="spotify:artist:64mPnRMMeudAet0E62ypkx" data-name="Primus">Primus</a>)
<a href="spotify:artist:6IpGCPfdHtfNZwSGihxXSj" data-name="Matt Sweeney">Matt Sweeney</a> (<a href="spotify:artist:0GXsDnyvpjRO46Cgv3w5KS" data-name="Chavez">Chavez</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:7vcvAhisyxCexIqTY8LBtS" data-name="Superwolf">Superwolf</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:33EUXrFKGjpUSGacqEHhU4" data-name="Iggy Pop">Iggy Pop</a>)
<a href="spotify:artist:0FIagKn8Ibj8ikj5VvTXto" data-name="Matt Berry">Matt Berry</a>
Libby Grace
Töôrnst Hülpft

The results are eight new songs that embody the legacy of freedom from expectations and inhibitions that stretches back to 1997, when Homme led a first retreat to the Joshua Tree desert. What began as a casual writing and recording session amongst friends—isolated from daily distractions and comforts—has since become a possibly infinite body of work. Now spanning 12 volumes over the course of two decades (and a total of two documented live performances), Desert Sessions has featured some of music’s most cherished icons—past players have included <a href="spotify:artist:12VaqyEhgwDRuFfEqbnrpz" data-name="PJ Harvey">PJ Harvey</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1fpXM23IoNckJ7NDAm8YJQ" data-name="Mark Lanegan">Mark Lanegan</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:7EMrFlPVSDGQKOgtHKH28L" data-name="Josh Freese">Josh Freese</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1kSLmvwkIgEszXvWVLZVwu" data-name="Dean Ween">Dean Ween</a>, among many others—deliberately removing themselves from their comfort zones and working together to create some of their most relaxed yet challenging work.