The Blue Stones is a blues/rock band made up of two Canadian musicians: Justin, who works in tech support at trade shows, and Tarek, a physicist. Much like Batman, they’ve been living a double life — playing small shows all over the world while holding down very different day jobs. The shows might be small, but the sound is massive. They’ve been going strong since 2010.
Their latest album, Metro, is loud, guitar-saturated, and packed with deep, thought-provoking lyrics. Their sound is so big that you have to pay extra attention to the words — and it’s worth it, because the lyrics are rich and honest. From the moment the album starts, you’re pulled into a roaring subway intro, with sounds that almost resemble motorcycles, warning you to ‘keep your hands in at all times’ because the next stop is your ‘tiny, worthless life.’ From there, you’re taken on a relentless ride full of heavy guitars and raw emotion.
You could pull lyrics from almost any song on Metro and spend an entire review just on them. But to keep it simple, I’m going to focus on a few. Some of The Blue Stones’ favorite artists include Coldplay, Jay-Z, The Black Keys, and Kanye West. You can hear The Black Keys’ influence in their powerful blues-driven guitar work, and Coldplay‘s signature emotional depth in their lyrics. There’s also a no-apologies energy that feels very inspired by Kanye West — especially his Yeezus album. The heavy, aggressive production on Metro reminds me a lot of Kanye’s “I Am a God” — it’s bold, intense, and fearless.
Take the song “Happy Cry” — it’s packed with sadness, but it’s also beautifully honest. ‘I’m letting go of what I can / A happy cry, and I’ll start again / Oh, I start again.’ It’s cathartic and captures the core of what The Blue Stones seem to believe: it’s never too late to start over. We’re human — we can’t change the past, but we can move forward at any time. Sometimes, our attachment to the past and the ‘what ifs’ can hold us back, but “Happy Cry” reminds us that letting go is possible, and starting over is powerful.
“Kill Box” is another standout — it’s a song I can’t wait to show my friends. It sounds like an honest, unfiltered conversation. ‘Does it ever get lonely now? / Said, do you ever get lonely now? / So don’t hit me on my phone, yeah, I’m out of town / And don’t test me with the tone, better settle down.’ The song paints the picture of dealing with an ex — someone you don’t want to run into at a party, someone you don’t want to call or make fake small talk with. You can hear the lies just by the tone of their voice. And then, the song takes a heavier turn: ‘Point a gun at the mirror for fun / What would it read if my days were done? / At least I was who I said I was / Snap a finger, then I fade, then I fade to dust.’ It’s raw, real, and speaks to facing yourself with total honesty, no matter how uncomfortable that might be.
The more time I spend with this album, the more it feels like The Blue Stones are wrestling with the pressure to be fake — both in the industry and in the people around them. That theme hits especially hard in the song “Lose My Name”: ‘Nobody says what they really mean / Nobody’s like what they really like / Easy to live in the in-between / Easy to hide in the monitor light.’
Tarek and Justin aren’t trying to be rock stars — they’re just two guys who love music and want to play their songs and hear the crowd sing them back. They should be much bigger than they are, and honestly, I’m kind of mad I didn’t discover them sooner — and even more mad that I missed their show in Brooklyn.
Heads up: if you ever get the chance to catch them live, don’t miss it. Tarek is even balancing school in England, working on his physics degree, while flying back to North America to release albums and play shows. Their story is inspiring because they show you don’t have to be just one thing — you can be many things at once.
