The Blue Stones - Is their album one of the 'Hidden Gems' ?

March 19th 2022

Album Release

We must buy all the 'Hidden Gems' !!!

Alternative Rock Canadian duo The Blue Stones announced their highly anticipated sophomore album 'Hidden Gems', set for release via Entertainment One (eOne) on March 19th. On 'Hidden Gems', the band worked with famed producer Paul Meany (Mutemath, Twenty One Pilots, Lany), who helped the band to not only explore and create music in a new way, but discover themselves throughout the writing process. These developments are clear on the band’s thundering new single 'Spirit', which made its debut on YouTube recently.

When Tarek Jafar and Justin Tessier formed The Blue Stones, they were facing uncertainty about who they were individually. What they did know for sure, though, was that they wanted to make music together and, so they did. Following the success of their debut album 'Black Holes', the band quickly found a following in the Alternative Rock world that led to them sharing the stage with the likes of grandson, Welshly Arms and Reignwolf. As the band were working with Paul Meany on what would become their sophomore effort 'Hidden Gems', they realized they wanted to take the sound they had become known for and give it a new edge. Across the ten songs on the album, the band pairs Rock songs built to be played in a stadium with layered, R&B leaning numbers and moody Grunge tracks. The songs resonate with a powerful emotional intensity both sonically and lyrically, with Jafar penning his most personal lyrics to date.

Album opener 'Lights On' serves as a perfect introduction to the diverse sound found across 'Hidden Gems', before kicking into hit single 'Shakin’ off the Rust' which charted top fove at US radio on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and has seen over thirteen million streams Worldwide. As the record continues, the band brings in a smooth and funky vibe through a mix of keys and 808 kick drums on songs like 'Careless', 'L.A. Afterlife' and 'Make this Easy'. 'Let it Ride' sets course as an explosive Rock anthem, while the album ends with the bouncy, Indie Rock driven 'Oceans'. On 'Hidden Gems', the band have crafted something that shimmers with such purity and truth... musically and lyrically, that you can’t help but be swept up and carried off by these songs. The Blue Stones have redefined who they are, but at the same time ensured they kept their identity intact, making them one of Alternative Rock’s most exciting acts.