When The Rolling Stones were recording their latest album, Hackney Diamonds, the rock legends insisted that they not rest on the retro sounds of old.
When talking about the sound of the record, frontman Mick Jagger made a point of providing fans with a fresh look at the modern version of the band, telling Rolling Stone, “We weren’t trying to re-create some retro record or retro sound or even retro playing. It’s supposed to sound like it’s recorded this year, which it more or less was”.
The album marks the first Rolling Stones LP of original material since A Bigger Bang in 2005. Their latest turn to the studio, 2016’s Blue and Lonesome, primarily consisted of covers of blues songs the group had grown up listening to.
When working on material, Jagger talked about getting into specific grooves while writing, explaining, “I’m a very groove-orientated person, so [when I write] I got an idea of what I think the groove is.s. “It’s a band, so you can’t really lay the law down completely, but I kind of know what groove I’m going for”.
Aside from the remaining band members, Hackney Diamonds is also set to feature different guest stars on the project. With session drummer Steve Jordan taking over for late drummer Charlie Watts, artists like Lady Gaga and Paul McCartney will also contribute to the band’s latest album.
Jagger went on to say that the album captures the version of The Stones from 2023, continuing, “I just think it’s the Stones this year…. I wanted it to be great. I didn’t want it to be just an album that was OK. And I think the album delivered what I wanted”.
In the leadup to the album, the band also unveiled the music video for the first single, ‘Angry’. Hackney Diamonds is slated for release on October 20th.
