Rolling Stones Mark Album Milestone

The Rolling Stones have celebrated the forthcoming release of their 25th studio album, Foreign Tongues, with a high-profile launch event in Brooklyn, underscoring the band’s remarkable longevity and continued creative output more than six decades after their formation.

The three surviving core members—Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood—appeared on a red carpet at the Weylin, a landmark event venue in New York City, where they posed for photographers and took part in an on-stage interview session with comedian and television host Conan O’Brien. The event marked a promotional milestone ahead of the album’s official release on 10 July.

Foreign Tongues comprises 14 tracks and arrives as a follow-up to the band’s 2023 Grammy Award-winning album Hackney Diamonds, which was widely regarded as a late-career resurgence. The new record continues the group’s collaboration with producer Andrew Watt and features contributions from several prominent guest musicians.

The album’s lead single, In the Stars, was released digitally on Tuesday, with physical distribution scheduled for 15 May. Another track, Rough and Twisted, was previously issued in April as a limited vinyl-only release under the pseudonym “The Cockroaches”, an alias historically associated with the band for promotional experimentation.

Music critics have already offered early assessments of the material. Neil McCormick of The Telegraph described Rough and Twisted as a “stomping, raucous, frayed and tattered blues belter”, noting its stylistic alignment with the band’s acclaimed 1972 album Exile on Main Street.

The album artwork, created by American painter Nathaniel Mary Quinn, presents a striking composite portrait of Jagger, Richards and Wood, merging their facial features into a distorted and vividly coloured single image. The design is intended to reflect the band’s iconic aesthetic legacy, including their famous lips-and-tongue logo.

Album Overview

The project is particularly notable as it represents only the second studio album released by the band since the death of drummer Charlie Watts in 2021. Watts is credited with a “special appearance” on the record, according to promotional materials, alongside contributions from drummer Steve Jordan and bassist Darryl Jones, who have supported the band in recent years.

Despite the band members’ advanced ages—Jagger and Richards are both 82, while Wood is 78—there is no indication that Foreign Tongues will be their final studio effort. Reports from The Times suggest that additional unreleased material remains from the recording sessions, potentially paving the way for further releases.

The Rolling Stones, formed in 1962, remain one of the most commercially successful and influential rock bands in history, and their latest project reinforces their enduring presence in contemporary music culture.