The Rolling Stones Broaden Their Borders on Foreign Tongues

Recorded in a furious sprint at London's Metropolis Studios, the Rolling Stones' upcoming 25th studio release Foreign Tongues merges raw, retro-fuzz garage blues with an all-star cast

The Rolling Stones have defied expectations once again, proving that their historic sixty-year run is far from over. Despite widespread belief that 2023’s guest-heavy Hackney Diamonds would serve as their definitive final chapter, the legendary rock icons have caught everyone off guard by announcing a brand-new studio album titled Foreign Tongues.

Revealed during a high-energy Brooklyn press conference moderated by Conan O'Brien, the 14-track record is set to drop on July 10, 2026. Rather than relying on a predictable victory lap of nostalgic callbacks, the album promises a raw, high-octane energy. The entire project was tracked during a whirlwind, month-long session at London's Metropolis Studios, captured in a burst of sudden inspiration alongside dynamic producer Andrew Watt. 

If Hackney Diamonds was a polished victory lap, Foreign Tongues feels decidedly more immediate, unpredictable, and loose. The band initially teased the project via a limited, anonymous white-label vinyl release under their old club-days pseudonym, "The Cockroaches". That raw, exploratory garage energy carries heavily into the record's opening double A-side. "Rough and Twisted" features a killer, grinding guitar riff and a rambunctious, blown-out harmonica solo from Mick Jagger that sounds like it was tracked in a smoky Edith Grove flat in 1963. Meanwhile, the true lead single, "In the Stars," bursts out of the gate with a driving, percussive swagger and high-octane vocals that prove Jagger’s instrument remains completely untouched by time.

What elevates Foreign Tongues beyond a standard blues-rock exercise is its profound connection to the band's past and an incredible roster of global peers. Most movingly, the album features four tracks anchored by the late Charlie Watts, culled from his final, intense 2020 and 2021 Los Angeles recording sessions before his passing. Hearing Watts’ iron-clad, signature pocket groove on the punky, drum-heavy standout "Mr. Charm" provides a visceral, emotional anchor to the record. Where Charlie leaves off, Steve Jordan steps in seamlessly elsewhere, maintaining the relentless propulsion the band demands.

The guest list here reads like a rock and roll fantasy camp, yet Watt’s production ensures nobody overstays their welcome or dilutes the band's core identity. Paul McCartney returns to the fold, apparently joking after his session, "Finally, I can say I played with the Rolling Stones!" Stevie Winwood contributes sweeping, soulful piano, while unexpected textures arrive courtesy of The Cure's Robert Smith and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. The tracklist itself weaves through surprising territory, including a dark, heavily syncopated cover of Amy Winehouse’s "You Know I'm No Good" and a blistering, set-closing rendition of Chuck Berry's "Beautiful Delilah".

The album's artwork—a surrealist, pastel composite portrait titled "Trinity" by American painter Nathaniel Mary Quinn—merges the faces of Jagger, Richards, and Wood into a single, cohesive entity. It is a perfect visual metaphor for the record itself. Sixty-four years into their journey, the Stones have stopped worrying about protecting their legacy and have gone back to simply living it in real-time. Foreign Tongues doesn't sound like a band saying goodbye; it sounds like three old friends locking horns in a room, kicking up the dust, and reminding the world exactly who invented the rules of the game.

Sources:

•          Wikipedia

•          CBC News

•          PBS News

•          Associated Press

•          Paste Magazine

•          That Eric Alper