The Blue Stones – Hidden Gems
Release Date: 19th March 2021
Label: eOne
Pre-Order/Pre-Save
Genre: Alt-Rock
FFO: Royal Blood, Black Pistol Fire, Cleopatrick.
Review By: Paul Franklin
This is the sound of confidence.
This is sound of a band fully stretching their creative wings and dismissing the notion of ‘the difficult second album’ with the same contempt usually reserved for the key speaker at a Flat Earth conference.
Tarek Jafar (Lead Vocals/Guitar) and Justin Tessier (Drums/Backing Vocals) released The Blue Stones debut album, Black Holes, in 2018. Despite Justin explaining that the ‘album was us trying to figure out who we were’, the result was a harmonious combination of gritty blues and heavy rock that garnered great reviews and an excited anticipation for a follow up.
Fast forward to the present and, with the creative help of TwentyOnePilots producer Paul Meany, they have not only figured out who they are, they have evolved into the band that they always wanted to become, and produced an album full of gems that should definitely not be hidden.
The first single Shakin’ Off The Rust is a song that Jafar sees very much as a mission statement for their renewed sense of confidence and newfound identity. “There were times along the way where I felt I wasn’t good enough, or that I didn’t deserve any happiness or success. This song is about battling those thoughts in your head that make you doubt yourself, and coming through with the confidence to make something great.” Which is exactly what they have done. Musically, the track is probably the closest to the sound of their debut, but it’s not all just fuzz-drenched riffs, there are added layers and textures that really highlight that sense of renewed confidence.
Layers and textures is a key phrase when describing Hidden Gems, the different sounds conjured by the duo using a lot of different instruments break the traditional boundaries of what a blues-rock duo is about, with songs that float on the air of delicate melodies to shimmer brightly sitting alongside others that strip back the purity and reveal a grimier underbelly. Take Grim as an example, a late-night stroll through the dingy back alleys of the singer’s vices, dimly lit in the perverse glow of faded neon. An ominous riff stalks the shadows, until turning the final corner it breaks cover and gouges out chunks with jagged claws.
As a counterpoint you have the layered beats and hip-hop vibes of Careless and L.A. Afterlife, one laid back and sultry, the other a funky hangover from a night of excess, both unexpected yet both a perfect fit in the context of the band’s new outlook. “Even though some of these songs sound different, at the end of the day we stayed true to who we are as The Blue Stones. So even if the songs border on a different genre, you’re still going to get us, because it’s still us writing the songs and performing the songs. – Jafar
The more rock-driven Let It Ride is the musical equivalent of filling the boot of an old convertible with cold beer and heading off into the sunset looking for adventure. Absolute highlight of the album is the nuanced Spirit. The restrained verses and thundering chorus a perfect interpretation of the internal conflict that the singer (and probably most of us to be honest!) feels between being the person that does what they should and the other that does that they want, recognizing that it’s sometimes good to let the spirit play!
The bright and breezy layers of Oceans wash up and over each other to bring us full circle in terms of the sonic journey that The Blue Stones have taken us on. Any initial worries about being led off the well-worn track into new, unfamiliar territory and potentially getting stuck in a fetid bog of mediocre ambition are soon forgotten as the duo confidently lead the way. Solid ground under your feet for every single step.
(5 / 5)
