As expected, the Rolling Stones have announced the release of a new studio album “Foreign Tongues,” due on July 10 from Capitol Records. The 14-track collection follows less than three years after the band’s Grammy Award-winning “Hackney Diamonds” — which was their first in nearly 15 years. The new album will be introduced by the lead single “In the Stars,” released digitally on Friday (May 5) alongside the album’s opening track “Rough and Twisted.”
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood are set to attend a media launch for “Foreign Tongues” later today in Brooklyn, N.Y. And the three band members will promote the album across three nights of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” starting May 6 with an appearance from Jagger, followed by Richards and Wood.
In the lead-up to the announcement, the band have been subtly building anticipation for the new project, including the limited white label release of the track “Rough and Twisted” only on vinyl under the name the Cockroaches.
In a very un-Stones-like move, the album was recorded in less than a month at Metropolis Studios in West London, with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood reuniting with Grammy-winning producer Andrew Watt (Lady Gaga, Elton John, Ozzy Osbourne), who also helmed “Hackney Diamonds.”
The album features Jagger, Richards and Wood with core collaborators bassist Darryl Jones, keyboardist Matt Clifford and drummer Steve Jordan. It also includes a special appearance from Charlie Watts, captured during one of his final recording sessions before his passing in 2021.
Additional contributions come from an impressive line-up of guest artists, including Paul McCartney (who also guested on “Hackney Diamonds”), Steve Winwood, the Cure’s Robert Smith and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Jagger said in the announcement, “I love doing these recording sessions in London at Metropolis. It was a very intense few weeks recording ‘Foreign Tongues.’ We had 14 great tracks and we went as fast as we could. I like the room there as it’s not too big so you can feel the passion in the room from everyone.”
Richards added: “The ‘Foreign Tongues’ album has a continuity from ‘Hackney Diamonds’ and it was great to be working in London again, and to have that London vibe around us. It was a month of concentrated punch. To me, it’s all about the enjoyment of it. I’m blessed to be able to do this and long may it last.”
Wood commented: “The atmosphere in the room was so creative, and the whole band was on top form throughout the whole process. Very often we nailed it on the first take. I hope everyone loves it.”
The album’s cover artwork is a painting created by American artist Nathaniel Mary Quinn, who commented: “Creating the album cover for the Rolling Stones is an artistic honor – a dialogue with one of the most enduring forces in cultural history”
