A duo formed in their years at university, The Blue Stones have released their boldest album yet – Metro. An experimental concept album out on the 28th of March, Metro takes listeners on a desolate journey on a dark subway, intrepidly cruising through a dystopian amalgamation of emotions and experiences, with the overall sound of the album certainly staying true to the band’s ‘melting pot of rock, blues, hip-hop and pop’.
Metro is kicked off strongly with a short track named ‘Metro 47’, in which a voice playing over a tannoy system seemingly acts as the listener’s inner critic, establishing a sinister tone for the rest of the album. This voice reappears consistently amongst the rest of the tracks, posing an underlying manifestation of threat and danger to the album’s protagonist and those listening along. The interludes between the songs on Metro are a unique breath of fresh air between the tracks, breaking us out of our comfort zones and providing us with dark, bold build-ups to even darker, bolder songs.
A hefty collection of sixteen new tracks, Metro holds a good few ambitious, intrepid singles, one of which is entitled ‘Your Master’, released prior to the rest of the album in October 2024. This track is a sultry, valiant expression of self-assuredness, and certainly one to confidently strut down a dark street to when in need of a pick-me-up. The band’s drummer Justin Tessier states:
‘Your Master’ was one of the first ideas we started working on. The riff and the guitar tone were so infectious, we just ran with it. I jumped on the kit and put down some ideas. This one is for all of you who love big, fuzzed-out guitars, wild, crashy drums, and distorted, unhinged vocals.’
Another inarguably striking single on the album comes in the shape of ‘New Immigrant’ – a gutsy concoction of aggressive, confident vocals, distorted synths and moody drums, the sounds on this track are reminiscent of bands such as The Black Keys, and possibly the early works of Cage The Elephant. This track explores optimistic themes of self-importance, exuding confidence and firmness, and again continues to provide us with that same confident buzz the album brings as a whole.
We have undoubtedly all been on a seemingly never-ending journey on the tube or the metro late at night, wondering when or if we are going to reach our destination, and getting lost in rumination. Metro is a brave and brilliantly executed delve into the thrilling danger of these journeys and the emotions they bring, disguising them as metaphorical representations of human complexity and our convoluted introspection. Stepping on board to indulge in Metro provides listeners with a broody collection of reflections on oneself, potentially being the boldest of The Blue Stones’ works to date.