The Rolling Stones return with Foreign Tongues, a 14-track studio album arriving July 10, featuring Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood alongside a final recording appearance from Charlie Watts and guest contributions from Paul McCartney, Steve Winwood, Robert Smith and Chad Smith.
by Paul Cashmere
The Rolling Stones will release their 25th studio album Foreign Tongues on July 10, marking a rapid follow-up to 2023’s Hackney Diamonds and continuing a late-career resurgence that has redefined the band’s modern era. The announcement was confirmed at a launch event in Brooklyn, New York, where Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood unveiled the project and premiered new material including the single In The Stars.
The significance of Foreign Tongues sits in both its timing and its construction. Issued less than three years after Hackney Diamonds, the record consolidates a creative momentum not seen from the band since the early 2000s. It also extends the post-2021 era following the death of drummer Charlie Watts, whose presence is again felt through a posthumous performance captured during one of his final recording sessions.
Recorded at Metropolis Studios in London and produced by Andrew Watt, Foreign Tongues was completed in under a month. Jagger described the sessions as “very intense”, noting the immediacy of the process. “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,” he said in a statement.
Richards framed the project as a continuation. “The Foreign Tongues album has a continuity from Hackney Diamonds… it was a month of concentrated punch,” he said, pointing to a workflow that prioritised spontaneity and cohesion over extended production cycles.
The album’s rollout was seeded through a deliberately cryptic campaign. Posters in London under the alias “The Cockroaches” directed fans to a sign-up portal, followed by a white-label vinyl release of Rough And Twisted. The strategy escalated with multilingual billboards featuring the band’s tongue logo and the phrase “Foreign Tongues”, before resolving into a formal announcement and single release.
Musically, the record centres on the core trio of Jagger, Richards and Wood, supported by longtime collaborators Darryl Jones, Matt Clifford and Steve Jordan. The guest list broadens the sonic palette, with contributions from Paul McCartney, Steve Winwood, Robert Smith and Chad Smith. The inclusion of McCartney and Winwood reconnects the band to British rock’s foundational generation, while Robert Smith introduces a tonal counterpoint associated with post-punk and alternative textures.
From an industry perspective, Foreign Tongues reinforces a broader trend of legacy acts operating with contemporary production frameworks. Andrew Watt’s involvement, following his work on Hackney Diamonds, aligns The Rolling Stones with a generation of producers versed in both classic rock and modern pop workflows. The result is a recording approach that prioritises immediacy without abandoning analogue sensibilities.
The album also arrives amid a shift in how heritage artists engage audiences. The teaser campaign, vinyl-first Easter eggs and social-driven speculation point to a hybrid promotional model that merges traditional release cycles with fan-led discovery.
There is, however, an alternate reading of the band’s late-period output. Some critics have questioned whether accelerated production timelines risk diminishing the depth traditionally associated with The Rolling Stones’ catalogue, particularly when compared to landmark works such as Exile On Main St or Sticky Fingers. Others argue the current phase reflects a pragmatic adaptation, prioritising output and relevance over prolonged studio refinement.
What remains clear is that Foreign Tongues occupies a distinct position in the band’s timeline. It follows the re-establishment of the Stones as a recording entity with Hackney Diamonds, and continues the integration of archival elements, notably the inclusion of Watts, into new material.
The album’s lead single In The Stars, alongside Rough And Twisted, signals a continuation of the band’s established songwriting architecture, blues-rooted structures framed within contemporary production. The presence of guest musicians suggests a layered instrumental approach, though the core identity remains anchored in the interplay between Jagger’s vocal phrasing and Richards’ rhythmic guitar work.
Looking ahead, the July 10 release positions Foreign Tongues as a key catalogue entry in the Stones’ seventh decade. Whether it ultimately stands alongside their canonical works will be determined over time, but its role in sustaining the band’s recording legacy is immediate and measurable.
Foreign Tongues Tracklisting
Rough And Twisted – 0:04:40
In The Stars – 0:04:13
Jealous Lover – 0:03:50
Mr. Charm – 0:04:34
Divine Intervention – 0:04:46
Ringing Hollow – 0:05:18
Never Wanna Lose You – 0:04:31
Hit Me In The Head – 0:02:57
You Know I’m No Good – 0:04:54
Some Of Us – 0:04:01
Covered In You – 0:04:32
Side Effects – 0:04:35
Back In Your Life – 0:06:13
Beautiful Delilah – 0:03:29
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