Canadian rock duo The Blue Stones have released their eagerly anticipated fourth album, Metro, via Thirty Tigers, alongside leading single Happy Cry. You settle into the worn seat of a subway car barely holding together, graffiti scrawled across its walls beneath flickering ads for bionic enhancements and synthetic upgrades. A mechanical voice crackles through the loudspeaker: “The next stop is… your tiny, stupid little worthless life.”
The Blue Stones
This is Metro – a dark, gritty ride through rebellion, duality, and self-discovery… and The Blue Stones’ boldest album yet. The album follows a protagonist navigating a dystopian subway, confronting a personified version of their darker side – a manifestation of their buried need for authenticity.
Speaking on the record, vocalist and guitarist Tarek Jafar says: “The subway is a metaphor for the conflict we all face, it’s about balancing societal expectations with your own self-serving desires.” The loudspeaker’s voice, eerie and detached, becomes the protagonist’s inner critic, a manifestation of societal pressure that feels alien yet inescapable.
The brand new single, Happy Cry demonstrates a moment of catharsis and raw emotion. With its live-off-the-floor energy and soaring vocals, it bursts with triumphant release, capturing the thrill of starting over and embracing growth. ”Happy Cry is about finding acceptance and closure in things that you cannot change,” says Tarek. “It’s about letting go of emotional baggage that only weighs you down, and finding happiness in the long, winding, sometimes broken-down road that brought you to exactly where you are now.”
The Blue Stones – vocalist and guitarist Tarek Jafar and drummer Justin Tessier – formed during their university days and inspired by the freedom of creating without boundaries, grew from playing small-town bars to headlining iconic venues like The Troubadour in Los Angeles, Electric Ballroom in London, and The Danforth Music Hall in Toronto. Along the way, they’ve racked up over 300 million streams, three JUNO nominations, and radio hits like Shakin’ Off the Rust, which topped Rock charts in Canada and hit #5 on U.S. Mainstream Rock.
The duo’s unique sound, a melting pot of rock, blues, hip-hop, and pop has always set them apart. They thrive on contrasts and a controlled sense of chaos, both on record and during their awe-inspiring live shows. “We’ve always wanted our music to empower people,” says Justin. “This record is about reconnecting with your authentic self—the part of you buried under everyone else’s expectations.”
With Metro, The Blue Stones deliver their most unfiltered, unapologetic work yet. Step aboard. The next stop is whatever you make it.
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