The Rolling Stones are moving fast, by Rolling Stones standards and almost everyone else’s. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood have announced a new studio album, Foreign Tongues, arriving July 10 through Capitol Records.
The 14-track set follows Hackney Diamonds, the band’s Grammy-winning 2023 album and their first studio record of original material in nearly 15 years. This time, the wait is closer to three years, which for a group with six decades behind it counts as brisk.
The first tracks arrive May 5
The album rollout begins Friday, May 5, with the digital release of lead single “In the Stars” alongside the album opener, “Rough and Twisted.”
Jagger, Richards and Wood are also due to appear later today at a media launch for Foreign Tongues in Brooklyn, New York.
The band had already been quietly setting the table for the announcement. “Rough and Twisted” was issued in a limited white-label vinyl release under the name the Cockroaches, a low-key alias move that is not exactly the loudest possible Stones entrance, which was probably the point.
Recorded quickly in West London
In a notable break from the band’s more sprawling studio history, Foreign Tongues was recorded in under a month at Metropolis Studios in West London.
The Stones reunited with producer Andrew Watt, who also produced Hackney Diamonds. Watt, a Grammy winner, has worked with artists including Lady Gaga, Elton John and Ozzy Osbourne.
The core lineup on the album features:
- Mick Jagger
- Keith Richards
- Ronnie Wood
- Bassist Darryl Jones
- Keyboardist Matt Clifford
- Drummer Steve Jordan
The record also includes a special appearance from Charlie Watts, drawn from one of his final recording sessions before his death in 2021.
Paul McCartney, Robert Smith and more guest
The guest list gives the album extra industry weight. Paul McCartney appears after also contributing to Hackney Diamonds. Other featured musicians include Steve Winwood, the Cure’s Robert Smith and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith.
For a band that does not need help drawing attention, the lineup still matters. It links Foreign Tongues not just to the Stones’ own history, but to several generations of British and American rock around them.
The band on the sessions
Jagger said the album came together in an intense burst at Metropolis.
“I love doing these recording sessions in London at Metropolis,” he said in the announcement. “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 described the album as connected to its predecessor.
“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,” he said. “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 pointed to the energy of the sessions.
“The atmosphere in the room was so creative, and the whole band was on top form throughout the whole process,” he said. “Very often we nailed it on the first take. I hope everyone loves it.”
The cover art
The album cover was created by American artist Nathaniel Mary Quinn. He called the commission “an artistic honor” and described it as “a dialogue with one of the most enduring forces in cultural history.”
With Foreign Tongues, the Stones are not framing Hackney Diamonds as a late-career one-off. They are turning it into a fresh chapter, with a fast recording window, a heavyweight guest list and the unmistakable sense that the machine is still very much switched on.
