The years between eighteen and our early twenties can be some of the most exciting but also the most anxious in our lives. Still finding who we are is a time when we take risks and make mistakes, but sometimes, we stumble upon a path toward clarity. That is what happened to Guitarist/Vocalist Tarek Jafar and Drummer Justin Tessier because they would go on to form the Rock duo The Blue Stones.
They formed the band when they were still college undergraduates and had no clue what the future would hold, but still knew they wanted to make music together. Doing just that, they wrote the songs that would make up their 2015 debut album, Black Holes. Attracting broader attention, Black Holes led to a record deal with eONE Music, resulting in an acclaimed re-release in 2018. From here, snowballing into touring and a nomination for the 2020 Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year, followed up Black Holes with the powerful Hidden Gems in 2021 before Pretty Monster in 2022.
Now three records deep into their career, The Blue Stones return in 2025 with number four, METRO. Released on March 28, 2025, through New Weapon Records and distributed by Thirty Tigers, the new album finds Jafar and Tessier teaming up with Mutemath Frontman Paul Meany again. Meany, who worked with the guys for 2021’s Hidden Gems, joined once more as co-songwriter and lead producer to assist in creating the most cinematic Blue Stones album.
With sixteen tracks (eleven of which are full-length songs), the best way to describe METRO is a concept album that touches on the journey we follow in life. It raises many questions, the boldest of which is a disconnect from the modern world and the prisons we put ourselves in. Primarily in part due to the overexposure to a constant digital presence, the songs themselves are as powerful as the interludes featuring a voice heard over the speakers at any metro station, which is soaked full of sarcasm but also realism.
With so much standing out, you have the heaviness of “Your Master” joined by the groove of “Scared of the Dark” and “Come Apart,” but also the more soulful “Happy Cry” and the almost Hip Hop driven “Lose My Name.” Each full of outside Blues-based guitars, the production sells a bright, colorful, and amply interesting sound.
Overall, The Blue Stones have successfully merged their Hard Blues Rock roots with other elements to create one of their more unique albums. It is easy to see the tremendous thought that went into METRO, and hopefully, the music and the message will lead some of us to get off the train to nowhere. That is why Cryptic Rock gives this album 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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