Rolling Stones Return with 'Foreign Tongues'
The Rolling Stones have released their 25th studio album, 'Foreign Tongues', marking a continued creative renaissance for the octogenarian rock legends. According to the Guardian's review, the album pairs well with their 2023 release 'Hackney Diamonds', representing their best material in decades. The review notes an enviable vitality that permeates the record, with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood launching the album in a recent event.
BTS Brings 'Arirang' to Global Stadiums
K-pop behemoth BTS is currently touring Europe until July 18, bringing their latest album 'Arirang' to global stadiums for their first tour since a 2022 hiatus. The Guardian's Kate Solomon describes the band's performance as potent, stating, 'Whatever BTS has, it’s potent.' The tour includes a stop at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Film Pick: 'The Last One for the Road'
This week's must-watch film is 'The Last One for the Road', a tragicomedy about two optimistic drinkers bumbling around Italy with a lovelorn student. Guardian critic Peter Bradshaw calls it a 'cynically amused and lenient witness to drunkenness, bleariness, sadness and intermittent nausea.' The film is out now.
Other Notable Films
Other films reviewed include 'Call of My Life', a Nigerian call-centre romcom praised for its 'wholesomeness and coquetry' by Leslie Felperin; 'Letters from Baghdad', a documentary on Gertrude Bell; 'The Girls', a 1978 Sri Lankan coming-of-age romance; and a cinema release of Nick Park's first two Wallace and Gromit films, described by Peter Bradshaw as 'jewels of stop-motion animated comedy'.
Book of the Week: David Sedaris's 'The Land and Its People'
The top book pick is David Sedaris's new collection of comic essays, 'The Land and Its People'. Emma Brockes's review highlights that the strongest sections are observations about people, where Sedaris is 'at his shrewdest and most powerful'.
Further Reading and Other Books
Other books featured include Daniel Mason's 'Country People', praised for prose that 'calls to mind Nabokov'; Charlotte Edwardes's debut 'Trouble Was', set in the summer of 1976; Katie Barclay's 'The Kiss', a cultural history of kissing; and Sarah O'Connor's 'We Are Not Machines', examining AI and labour. Also noted is Elizabeth Strout's 'The Things We Never Say', reviewed by Claire Adam.
Album Reviews: Jack White, Baby Rose, Wild Gods
Jack White's seventh solo album 'Frozen Charlotte' offers 'ludicrous blues-rock workouts', according to Shaad D'Souza. Baby Rose's 'Yearnalism' features cinematic soul with Rose's voice as the star. Wild Gods' 'The Glorious Abysmal' explores post-rock and folk-rock, described by Jude Rogers as 'heavy with regenerative power'.
TV Highlight: 'Amandaland'
The TV section highlights Lucy Punch in 'Amandaland', part of the Guardian's roundup of TV in 2026 from January to June.
