The Rolling Stones will release their 25th studio album, Foreign Tongues, on July 10th, less than three years after the platinum-winning Hackney Diamonds. The first single, In the Stars, comes out today alongside opening track Rough and Twisted.
Early signs of the album surfaced in London in recent weeks, when posters for a band called the Cockroaches appeared in Camden Town. The name, tied to a short-lived alias the Stones used for two secret shows in Toronto in 1977, re-emerged without explanation. Around the same time, Rough and Twisted was issued as an uncredited white-label vinyl, circulating among collectors before being formally linked to the band.
The album was recorded in under a month at Metropolis Studios in West London, with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood working again with producer Andrew Watt. Jagger described the sessions as “a very intense few weeks,” adding that the studio setup allowed the band to “feel the passion in the room from everyone.”
“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 amonth of concentrated punch,” says Keith Richards. “To me, it's all about the enjoyment of it. I'm blessed to be able todo this and long may it last.”
Alongside the core trio, the album will feature contributions from longtime collaborators Darryl Jones, Matt Clifford and Steve Jordan. It also includes a performance by drummer Charlie Watts, recorded before his death in 2021. Guest appearances from Steve Winwood, Paul McCartney, Robert Smith and Chad Smith are also spread across the tracklist.
Wood highlighted the pace of the sessions, noting that “very often we nailed it on the first take,” reflecting a recording process built on intuition and immediacy. Foreign Tongues will be available in multiple formats, including vinyl, CD and cassette, along with deluxe editions and box sets.
