‘Hidden Gems’ The Blue Stones album review
Sometimes you just need that spark to light the fuse on your creativity which is exactly what happened in the case of The Blue Stones. The Canadian duo of Tarek Jafar and Justin Tessier spent the period upto and around the release of their debut album, “Black Holes”, discovering who they were and wanted to be. Fast forward to a meeting with Paul Meany of Mutemath, and producer of TwentyOnePilots mega-hit album “Trench”, and the fuse was lit for the duo to explore new paths for the sophomore album.
Couple the fact that not only was Meany the creative inspiration the duo wanted, but also happened to be a fan of the band prior to the meeting. This was, on paper, a match made in heaven and one that has resulted in the Canadian pair opening up their musical wings and finally growing into the band they always dreamed of becoming. The fuzz-drenched “Shakin’ Off The Rust”, the first single taken from the album is described by the duo as a mission statement for their renewed sense of confidence and newfound identity and is the perfect example of the diversity explored by the pair on “Hidden Gems”. It isn’t just musically where the band have reinvented themselves either. On tracks like darker, edgier “Grim”, where Jafar digs into his own personal vices.
Diversity is the name of the game for The Blue Stones on “Hidden Gems”. From the modern-sounding “Grim” to “Let It Ride” where the duo explore their classic blues rock-inspired beginnings, there is plenty of variety here for fans of the band to get their teeth into. The album ends with the breezy soundscapes of “Oceans” a track that takes us right back to the beginning of this multi-layered tale of creativity and diversity. Some records like to take you on a journey. Some records like to keep you hanging on to see what they throw up next. “Hidden Gems” does both making it an album well worth investing your time in.
The album is out 19th March.
