The Rolling Stones have revealed that their upcoming album, Foreign Tongues, will feature guest appearances from former Beatles bassist Sir Paul McCartney and The Cure frontman Robert Smith. The record, which follows 2023's Hackney Diamonds, is set for release on July 10.
Sir Paul previously contributed bass to the Hackney Diamonds track Bite My Head Off. Other guest musicians on Foreign Tongues include Steve Winwood, formerly of The Spencer Davis Group and Traffic, the late drummer Charlie Watts, and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith.
A new single, In The Stars, was released on Tuesday alongside the album's opening track Rough And Twisted. The single will receive a physical release on May 15. The album features the band's current lineup: frontman Sir Mick Jagger, guitarists Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood, along with core collaborators Darryl Jones, Matt Clifford, and Steve Jordan.
Speaking about the new album, Sir Mick said: "I love doing these recording sessions in London at Metropolis. It was a very intense few weeks recording Foreign Tongues. 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."
Richards added: "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. I’m blessed to be able to do this and long may it last."
Sir Mick, Richards, and Wood are set to attend a launch event for the album in New York on Tuesday evening. The album cover, designed by American artist Nathaniel Mary Quinn, features the band members' faces mashed together.
Wood said of the album: "The atmosphere in the room was so creative, and the whole band was on top form throughout the whole process. Very often we nailed it on the first take. I hope everyone loves it."
The band previously released Rough And Twisted as a mysterious limited white label 12-inch record under the name The Cockroaches, which appeared in a number of UK record shops.
Foreign Tongues will see the Stones reunited with Grammy-winning producer Andrew Watt, who also helmed Hackney Diamonds. An Instagram post from the band described the record as "rooted in blues, country, rock and classic Stones songwriting."
The album will be available on multiple formats, including CD, cassette, vinyl record, and special box sets. The single In The Stars will be released on CD and vinyl formats.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest rock and roll bands of all time, The Rolling Stones have achieved eight UK number one singles and 14 UK number one albums. Their best-known songs include (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, Start Me Up, Brown Sugar, and Jumpin’ Jack Flash.
The Stones' original lineup included Sir Mick, Richards, and Watts, who died in 2021, along with guitarist Brian Jones and bass player Bill Wyman. Jones died in 1969, while Wyman left the band in the early 1990s. Jones was succeeded on guitar by Mick Taylor for a classic run of critically acclaimed albums, including Let It Bleed (1969), Sticky Fingers (1971), and Exile On Main Street (1972), before former Faces guitarist Wood joined the band in 1975.
