When The Rolling Stones dropped Hackney Diamonds in 2023, the rock-and-roll world treated it as a monumental, hard-fought victory lap. It was a Grammy-winning, chart-topping reminder that Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood still possessed a staggering amount of creative fire. Most fans assumed it would be their definitive final studio statement.
They were wrong.
Instead of slowing down, the legendary rock icons spent the last year secretly back in the studio. On July 10, 2026, the band will release their 25th studio album, Foreign Tongues. Clocking in at 14 tracks and 62 minutes, the record is shaping up to be an energetic, boundary-pushing late-career companion piece that picks up right where Hackney Diamonds left off and turns the volume up.
A Month of Concentrated Punch: Inside the London Sessions
The genesis of Foreign Tongues happened fast. Following a wildly successful marketing campaign that began with the band sneakily distributing 1,000 anonymous white-label vinyl copies of the track “Rough and Twisted” under their old 1960s pseudonym The Cockroaches, the official album announcement landed in early May.
According to the band, the album was recorded in less than four intense weeks at Metropolis Studios in West London. The trio reunited with producer Andrew Watt, the Grammy-winning mastermind who helmed Hackney Diamonds and helped capture a raw, high-voltage studio environment.
“It was a month of concentrated punch,” Keith Richards shared about the London sessions. “To me, it’s all about the enjoyment of it. I’m blessed to be able to do this and long may it last.”
Mick Jagger echoed that sentiment, noting that the intimate setup of the London studio forced the band to play tightly, feeding off the immediate energy of the room. The result is a loud, urgent, and wordy record where many tracks were captured in just the first or second take.
The Star-Studded Guest List
True to late-era Stones fashion, Foreign Tongues is an expansive cross-generational celebration, boasting an elite guest list of musical heavyweights.
- Paul McCartney: Expanding on his recent collaborations with the band, McCartney lends his signature bass lines to a track titled “Covered in You,” which early reviews describe as a rhythmically complex rock-rap song reminiscent of their late-’70s Some Girls style.
- Robert Smith (The Cure): The goth-rock icon joins the band for “Divine Intervention,” adding his distinctive backing vocals to an apocalyptic, high-energy rock anthem.
- Steve Winwood: The legendary keyboardist adds his classic touch to the groovy, recently released single “Jealous Lover.”
- Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers): The powerhouse drummer lends his heavy-hitting percussion to select tracks on the record, injecting a modern rock drive.
The Eternal Groove of Charlie Watts
Perhaps the most emotional highlight of the upcoming album is the inclusion of the late, great Charlie Watts. The track “Hit Me in the Head” features archival drum tracking captured during an intense, punk-rock-leaning Los Angeles studio session back in 2019. Splicing Watts’ immaculate, crisp timing into the new album ensures that the heartbeat of the original Rolling Stones remains intact.
What to Expect on July 10
The singles released so far: the infectious, upbeat “In the Stars” and the gritty “Jealous Lover”, prove that the band has no intention of playing it safe. Foreign Tongues is aiming for a diverse sonic landscape, ranging from deep funk-infused disco beats (“Never Wanna Lose You”) to an ultimate guitar blowout closing track featuring a raw, slide-guitar cover of Chuck Berry’s “Beautiful Delilah.”
While insiders indicate that the band isn’t likely to map out a massive world tour behind the record until at least 2027, the excitement surrounding the release itself is unmatched. For a band whose members are pushing into their late 70s and early 80s, Foreign Tongues is not a nostalgia project, it is a living, breathing testament to why the Rolling Stones remain entirely untouchable.
Foreign Tongues drops July 10, 2026, via Polydor/Universal Music and Capitol Records, and is currently available for pre-order on standard vinyl, cassette, and deluxe box set formats.
Are you ready for the next era of the Stones? Which guest feature are you most excited to hear? Let us know your thoughts on zrock.com!
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