The Rolling Stones are not interested in nostalgia cycles. Three years after Hackney Diamonds reasserted their dominance, they’re already back with another full-length.
Foreign Tongues, out July 10, lands as a 14-track follow-up that leans into momentum rather than legacy maintenance. The rollout starts with “In the Stars,” a bright, driving lead single that feels built for scale without sounding like a retread. It arrives alongside opening track “Rough and Twisted,” a song that had already been quietly circulating among collectors after a limited white-label vinyl drop under the alias The Cockroaches.
That early move did what it was supposed to do. It sparked speculation, pushed fan communities into overdrive, and hinted that this record might be looser, faster, and less controlled than expected.
Recorded in under a month at Metropolis Studios in West London, Foreign Tongues carries that urgency. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood reunited with producer Andrew Watt and kept the process tight. First takes, minimal second-guessing, and a focus on energy over perfection.
The lineup around them expands the scope. Paul McCartney, Robert Smith, Chad Smith, and Steve Winwood all appear across the record, alongside longtime collaborators. There is also a final recorded contribution from Charlie Watts, which adds a quiet weight to the project without turning it into a retrospective.
If Hackney Diamonds was about proving they could still operate at the highest level, Foreign Tongues feels more like a band moving quickly because they can. Less statement, more continuation, and maybe more dangerous because of it.
They’re launching it in Brooklyn, in person, like it’s still 1978. That part isn’t nostalgia either. It’s muscle memory.
Featured image credit: CAPITOL RECORDS
