Rolling Stones Unveil 25th Album 'Foreign Tongues' with Paul McCartney and Final Charlie Watts Tracks

Key facts

• The Rolling Stones will release their 25th studio album 'Foreign Tongues' on July 10.
• The album includes contributions from Paul McCartney, Steve Winwood, Robert Smith, and Chad Smith.
• Drummer Charlie Watts appears posthumously on the track 'Hit Me in the Head,' recorded before his death in 2021.
• The album was recorded in about four weeks at Metropolis Studios in London with producer Andrew Watt.
• Lead single 'In the Stars' and 'Rough and Twisted' were released alongside the album announcement.
• The band used the pseudonym 'The Cockroaches' to tease the album, with posters and a white-label vinyl release.
• The cover art is a painting by Nathaniel Mary Quinn, described by Jagger as 'Mr Ugly.'

A Surprise Album Announcement in Brooklyn

On a Tuesday afternoon in May, the Rolling Stones gathered friends, journalists and fellow artists at the Weylin in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to announce their 25th studio album, 'Foreign Tongues.' The event, hosted by superfan Conan O'Brien, featured a freewheeling conversation with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood. The trio appeared in high spirits, with Jagger joking about his striped blazer being 'from the estate of Willy Wonka.' The album, set for release on July 10, marks the band's first since 2023's 'Hackney Diamonds,' which won a Grammy for best rock album. The new record was recorded in just under a month at Metropolis Studios in London, a pace Jagger said gave the sessions 'urgency.' 'Only having four weeks gave us an urgency,' he told the audience. 'We're having fun most of the time in the studio, but it's a lot of concentration too – you've really got to make [a song's] five minutes count.'

A Star-Studded Guest List and Final Watts Recordings

'Foreign Tongues' features a slew of special guests, including Paul McCartney, Steve Winwood, the Cure's Robert Smith and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. The album also includes a posthumous appearance from original drummer Charlie Watts, who died in 2021 at age 80 from squamous-cell carcinoma. Watts plays on the track 'Hit Me in the Head,' which Jagger described as 'a real punk rocker' recorded during one of Watts's final sessions. 'Charlie plays great — it's a super-fast song,' Jagger said. The album's current drummer, Steve Jordan, handles the rest of the percussion duties. The band reunited with producer Andrew Watt, who also produced 'Hackney Diamonds' and has worked with Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber. Watt's role, includes keeping the band focused: 'When it's not working, that's when we bring in the referee. He kicks us up the arse.'

A Genre-Spanning Tracklist and Creative Renewal

Jagger said the 14 songs on 'Foreign Tongues' span multiple genres, including rock, ballads, country and dance music. 'The thing about this record is – the Stones are a rock band that also has the capacity to do ballads, country music or dance music. So we don't get stuck in one kind of style,' he explained. New song 'Ringing Hollow' is a 'country tune' inspired by Jagger and Richards's lifelong love of Hank Williams, while 'Beautiful Delilah' draws from delta blues. The band's creative resurgence follows the death of Watts and the critical success of 'Hackney Diamonds,' which the Guardian's Alexis Petridis praised as a return to form that 'crackles with a sense of purpose.' O'Brien, who said he had listened to 'Foreign Tongues' 25 times, compared it to the Stones' 1972 classic 'Exile on Main St,' noting 'a vibrancy, an urgency to it.'

The Cockroaches Tease and Fan Hunt

Speculation about a new Stones album had been building for weeks before the official announcement. Posters appeared around London bearing the name 'The Cockroaches' — a pseudonym the band has used in the past — along with a QR code. The code led to thecockroaches.com, a sign-up page that sent a confirmation message from Universal Music, the Stones' label. Representatives declined to comment at the time. The campaign culminated in a white-label, vinyl-only release of the track 'Rough and Twisted' under The Cockroaches name, a teaser decipherable only by the band's most dedicated fans. The song later appeared as a track on 'Foreign Tongues.'

Jagger on Vocal Longevity: Practice, Not Drugs

During the Brooklyn event, O'Brien asked Jagger, 82, how he maintains his octave-spanning singing voice. 'Well, I was taking a lot of drugs in 1968 … so it's practice,' Jagger quipped, before adding, 'The secret is practice, I think. It's simple.' Richards, also 82, spoke about the origins of his guitar riffs: 'You can't write em, you can't force em — they come to you.' He apologized to the crowd after realizing his microphone was inaudible for much of his response. Ronnie Wood compared the interplay between the two guitarists to 'an ancient form of weaving.' Jagger, known for his athletic performances, said he often carries a hand mic and walks around the studio while recording.

Cover Art and Release Details

The cover art for 'Foreign Tongues' is a painting by New York-based artist Nathaniel Mary Quinn, who described the image as an 'amalgamation' of the band. Jagger joked, 'I call it Mr Ugly,' and emphasized that the artwork is 'not computer-generated,' drawing whoops and applause from the audience. The album will be released on July 10 via Universal Music.

The bottom line

• The Rolling Stones' 25th album 'Foreign Tongues' arrives July 10, featuring Paul McCartney and the final recordings of Charlie Watts.
• The album was recorded in four weeks at Metropolis Studios in London, with producer Andrew Watt returning from 'Hackney Diamonds.'
• The band used a pseudonym campaign as 'The Cockroaches' to build anticipation, including a white-label vinyl single.
• Jagger attributes his vocal longevity to practice, not drugs, while Richards says riffs cannot be forced.
• The cover art is a hand-painted portrait by Nathaniel Mary Quinn, not a digital creation.
• The album spans rock, country, blues and punk, with tracks like 'Ringing Hollow' and 'Hit Me in the Head.'