The Rolling Stones have lifted the curtain on Foreign Tongues, the new album they started teasing last month. The 14-track project arrives July 10 via Capitol and, per Stereogum, features contributions from Paul McCartney, Robert Smith, and Steve Winwood. Late Stones’ drummer Charlie Watts also appears on a few tracks leftover from the Hackney Diamonds sessions. You can check out the Foreign Tongues cover from artist Nathaniel Mary Quinn, along with the single “In the Stars,” below.
In April, the Stones sparked rumors about their return when posters appeared in Camden Town, London, promoting their fabled “Cockroaches” pseudonym. Later, an article in the London Times revealed that a single called “Rough and Twisted” would be released on April 11 as a limited-edition, white-label vinyl exclusive. A secretive Cockroaches website concealed the GPS coordinates for a number of independent record stores that presumably carried the record. The article also noted that Andrew Watt, the producer behind 2023’s Hackney Diamonds (and the new McCartney album), would helm the LP.
“It was a very intense few weeks recording Foreign Tongues,” Mick Jagger said in a statement. “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.”
Added Keith Richards, “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 a month of concentrated punch. To me, it’s all about the enjoyment of it.”
Read about the Stones’ Aftermath in our 200 Best Albums of the 1960s.
