The Rolling Stones claim Foreign Tongues ‘run in the gamut’ of different genres and there’s ‘more in there’

The Rolling Stones say there is a multitude of genres to be heard on Foreign Tongues, and that there could be “more in there” than first expected.

Guitarist Keith Richards, along with frontman Mick Jagger and fellow instrumentalist Ronnie Wood, appeared at an album launch occasion with veteran talk show and podcast host Conan O’Brien. The Academy Awards host asked the band what listeners could expect from Foreign Tongues, the band’s twenty-sixth album, which will be released on July 10. The fourteen-track album will feature lead single In the Stars and Rough and Twisted, the latter song released under The Rolling Stones‘ moniker, The Cockroaches.

Speaking to O’Brien yesterday (April 5), the band confirmed details of the album and that they would be working on a variety of genres. Jagger said: “I love a challenge. That’s the whole album, the challenge of raising the bar. We’ve always been ambitious.

“The thing about this record that I find interesting. And you say, ‘You’ve got nothing to prove,’ but The Stones is a rock band, but The Stones also has the ability to do ballads and country music and dance music, they run in the gamut of all these styles. We’re not stuck in one particular style; over the years, we’ve loved all kinds of music. So, we express that in the way we record and what songs we write.”

Richards went on to suggest there could be more for the band to work on, hinting at the possibility of further material. He added: “It’s quite possible that there’s more in there. And that’s what we’re looking for.”

READ OUR REVIEW OF FOREIGN TONGUES’ LEAD SINGLE, IN THE STARS, HERE.

A statement released to the band’s mailing list yesterday (April 5) reads: “Foreign Tongues, the incredibly vibrant 14-track new album from the Rolling Stones, follows less than three years after the band’s universally acclaimed, Grammy Award-winning Hackney Diamonds, which topped charts worldwide and achieved multi-platinum success.

Preceded by the upbeat and infectious lead single In The Stars, Foreign Tongues was brought to life in under a month at Metropolis Studios in West London, with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood reuniting with Grammy-winning producer Andrew Watt. The result is a dynamic and forward-looking record that captures the band’s unmistakable sound while pushing into new sonic and lyrical territory, further cementing their unparalleled legacy.

“The album features standout performances from Jagger, Richards and Wood, alongside their core collaborators, including Darryl Jones, Matt Clifford and Steve Jordan. It also includes a special appearance from Charlie Watts, captured during one of his final recording sessions before his passing in 2021.

“Additional contributions come from an impressive line-up of guest artists, including Steve Winwood, Paul McCartney, Robert Smith (The Cure), and Chad Smith of The Red Hot Chilli Peppers.