Queens of the Stone Age’s latest album entitled, “Villains” is the dream soundtrack to your hellish disco fantasy.

The phrase “dancing with the devil” takes on a very literal sense with their seventh album, released on Aug. 25, 2017. The hype preceding this release was not only a result from the band’s four year hiatus since releasing their now landmark album “…Like Clockwork.” The hype was mostly surrounding the fact that the entire album was produced by “Uptown Funk” musician/producer extraordinaire, Mark Ronson, whose pop musical connotations seem antithetical to those of Queens. Although hardcore Queens fans may see this collaboration as nothing short of sacrilege, I found the fusion of Ronson’s funk vibes with Queens’ twisted hard rock a unique concoction that freshens Queens sound without discarding its intoxicating eeriness.

Ronson’s influence is mostly present in the album’s uptempo and intermittent synth-esque riffs that are impossible not to dance to. Songs such as “The Way You Used To Do” and “Feet Don’t Fail Me Now” are the most obvious examples of this given their unforgiving, upbeat and villainously cool nature. Along with “Domesticated Animals” and “Fortress,” Queens created a musical quadfecta that still holds their signature darkness and hypnotism, but now with a builtin dance party.

The intense guitar riffs combined with the sultry cadence of frontman Joshua Homme make listening to the album a fun act of mischievousness and dark indulgence. Although some of the songs fall short in sharpness when compared to the aforementioned quadfecta, ie “Hideaway” and “Head Like a Haunted House,” the whole album is a successful attempt at rebooting the band’s sound without entirely dismissing their brand.

Personally, I think “Villains” is a great album that missed the “perfect” mark by a very small margin. But, who really cares if it’s perfect or not when the music makes you feel so darn cool?