Tarek Jafar Dives Into the Blue Stones’ New Album, ‘Metro’

“I think you get to a level of expertise by the time you’re putting out your fourth full-length where you’re finally putting out things that are truly yourself.”

On Wednesday (May 7), Tarek Jafar joined Loudwire Nights to celebrate The Blue Stones‘ latest album, Metro. Listen to the full conversation in the player near the end of this article.

“I feel like our DNA is ingrained into this album,” Jafar told host Chuck Armstrong.

“It feels even better than any of the last three albums we put out and we’re very happy with the response.”

Jafar admitted that it’s a unique perspective to have to be four albums into the life of The Blue Stones and feeling like they’re now fully themselves.

“You’re not a baby band anymore, you’ve been around the block,” he said.

“You’ve done the touring. You’ve done the releases. You know a thing or two about the industry … It feels good. There’s a level of calmness that comes with releasing a fourth album. You’re like, ‘Okay, I know what I’m doing now.'”

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He hopes this feeling isn’t simply relegated to him and his partner, Justin Tessier, but also is heard by both longtime and new fans.

“I think for somebody now diving into who we are, I feel like Metro is kind of the truest we’ve been to ourselves as artists,” Jafar said.

“I think this is a great place to start.”

What Else Did The Blue Stones’ Tarek Jafar Discuss on Loudwire Nights?

• What the loose concept is behind Metro: “It follows the story of an individual who takes a very long, transformative ride on a subway in kind of a dystopian sort of future. Each song is a stop along the way of their journey. It’s kind of a journey of self-transformation which is becoming somebody who’s sort of been beat down by the world and society around them to somebody who can finally face the acceptance of those things.”
• What it’s like listening to The Blue Stones’ earlier albums: “You kind of hear a younger version of yourself, singing and the choices you make creatively in the songwriting. It’s funny, it’s kind of like listening to a little brother of yours, but it’s you.”
• Why it’s easy to maintain The Blue Stones as a duo: “I think it’s kind of nice that it’s been him and I from the start because there’s only two people that have to agree on things. Am I good for this? Are you good for this? Yes, we’re good. It’s made things a lot easier.”

Listen to the Full Interview in the Podcast Player Below

Tarek Jafar joined Loudwire Nights on Wednesday, May 7; the show replays online here, and you can tune in live every weeknight at 7PM ET or on the Loudwire app; you can also see if the show is available on your local radio station and listen to interviews on-demand.