Rolling Stones Announce New Album Foreign Tongues Out July 10
The Rolling Stones reveal Foreign Tongues, a 14-track follow-up to Hackney Diamonds, due July 10 on Capitol.
Something Dope · · 2 min read
The Rolling Stones have officially announced Foreign Tongues, their new studio album set to drop July 10 via Capitol Records. The 14-track project is produced by Andrew Watt, the same producer behind 2023's Hackney Diamonds and the upcoming Paul McCartney album, and was recorded in London over an intense, concentrated stretch.
The band unveiled the album cover, designed by artist Nathaniel Mary Quinn, alongside the new single "In the Stars." The announcement follows weeks of cryptic buildup: posters appeared in Camden Town promoting their longtime pseudonym "Cockroaches," a secretive website hid GPS coordinates pointing to independent record stores carrying a limited white-label vinyl single, and a London Times piece quietly confirmed the project was in motion.
Mick Jagger described the sessions as fast-moving and focused. "We had 14 great tracks and we went as fast as we could," he said. Keith Richards echoed that energy, calling it "a month of concentrated punch" and noting that the album carries a direct continuity from Hackney Diamonds.
What Foreign Tongues Means for Independent Artists and Labels
The rollout strategy the Stones used here is worth paying attention to. Rather than a standard press cycle, they seeded exclusive white-label vinyl through independent record stores, used a pseudonym to build mystery, and embedded GPS coordinates to drive foot traffic to those shops. It's a tactically interesting playbook, and one that smaller artists and indie labels can draw real lessons from.
The decision to anchor the campaign in physical, independent retail is a signal. Even at the biggest level of the industry, there's a deliberate choice being made to keep indie record stores central to the rollout. That's not just nostalgia, it's a recognition that those spaces carry cultural weight that streaming platforms can't replicate.
Watt's presence as producer is also notable. He's now attached to two of the most anticipated legacy-artist albums of the year, which says something about where the industry is putting its trust for high-stakes projects. For producers and artists watching from the indie side, understanding who's in the room on records like this matters.
The Stones have always operated at a scale most artists will never reach, but the fundamentals of this campaign, build anticipation, reward the most dedicated fans first, use physical formats strategically, keep the music community at the center, translate. If you're thinking about how to roll out your next project, this is a case study worth studying.
Foreign Tongues arrives July 10. Watch for more singles between now and the release date, and keep an eye on whether the Stones announce a supporting tour leg to go with it.