Music of the Spheres (Coldplay album)

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Music of the Spheres
Coldplay - Music of the Spheres (Official Album Artwork).png
Studio album by
Released15 October 2021 (2021-10-15)
Length41:53
Label
Producer
Coldplay chronology
Everyday Life
(2019)
Music of the Spheres
(2021)
Singles from Music of the Spheres
  1. "Higher Power"
    Released: 7 May 2021

Music of the Spheres is the upcoming ninth studio album by British rock band Coldplay, scheduled to be released on 15 October 2021 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and Atlantic Records in the United States. The album was produced by Max Martin, who is a new collaborator to the band's discography.[1][2]

Background and promotion[]

The idea for a space-themed record had been envisioned by the band at the time Everyday Life was released, in November 2019. Other hints to future material were purportedly hidden within song lyrics and music videos from the Everyday Life era.[3] One of the hints was hidden within the bifold of the physical vinyl edition of their album, Everyday Life, in which a black and white billboard in a field advertises "Music of the Spheres". In the bottom left corner, smaller writing says "Coldplay coming soon".[4] This, combined with the band's history of teasers for future material, fueled speculation about Music of the Sphere's themes and release date.[5]

On 23 April 2021, a post from an account titled 'Alien Radio FM' on social media released a set of coordinates (51°30'24.6"N 0°08'34.4"W) that led to Green Park in Piccadilly, London.[6][7] The post included a photo of an advertisement at these coordinates with unknown bright neon purple characters set to a blue background. The characters were quickly decoded by fan sites and said "Coldplay Higher Power May Seven". Similar posts would follow, which all teased the lead single, "Higher Power".[8]

On 29 April, Coldplay confirmed on their main social media accounts that a new single called "Higher Power" would in fact be released on 7 May.[9][10] Branded as a form of "extraterrestrial transmission", the band previewed the video to French European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet aboard the International Space Station prior to its public release.[11][12] Lead singer Chris Martin had stated that the theme for their upcoming music had been inspired by "wonder[ing] what musicians are like across the universe" after watching the fictional Mos Eisley cantina band perform in Star Wars.[13] After the promotion cycle of "Higher Power" was done, creative director Phil Harvey teased a possible announcement on 19 July.[14]

During the next day, Coldplay revealed the album, its tracklist, and a trailer titled "Overtura" containing a snippet for each song. They also stated that the song "Coloratura" would be released on 23 July, while the next official single would follow in September.[15]

Singles[]

"Higher Power" was released as the lead single on 7 May 2021. The song was produced by Max Martin, whom the band called "a true wonder of the universe". The band stated in a tweet that "it arrived on a little keyboard and a bathroom sink at the start of 2020."[9] An audio visualizer for the song, directed by Paul Dugdale, premiered on Coldplay's YouTube channel at 12:01 a.m. BST on the same day.[16][17] "Coloratura" was then released on 23 July 2021 as a promotional single. According to the band, the next official release is scheduled for release in September 2021.

Track listing[]

All tracks written by Coldplay and Max Martin, except where noted.[18]

Music of the Spheres track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Music of the Spheres I" (stylized as "Saturn.svg") 0:53
2."Higher Power"
  • C. Martin
  • Buckland
  • Berryman
  • Champion
  • M. Martin
  • Federico Vindver
  • Denise Carite
3:31
3."Humankind"  4:26
4."Alien Choir" (stylized as "Noto Emoji KitKat 2728.svg")  0:53
5."Let Somebody Go"  4:01
6."Human Heart" (stylized as "A perfect SVG heart.svg")  3:09
7."People of the Pride"  3:37
8."Biutyful"  3:12
9."Music of the Spheres II" (stylized as "Emoji u1f30e.svg")  0:21
10."My Universe"  3:46
11."Infinity Sign" (stylized as "Infinite.svg")  3:46
12."Coloratura"
  • M. Martin
  • Holter
  • Rahko
10:18
Total length:41:53

Notes

Release history[]

Release history and formats for Music of the Spheres
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Worldwide 15 October 2021
[1][2]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Nast, Condé (20 July 2021). "Coldplay Announce New Album Music of the Spheres". Pitchfork. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Shaffer, Claire (20 July 2021). "Coldplay Confirm New Album 'Music of the Spheres'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  3. ^ "Coldplay reportedly working on new album called Music of the Spheres". NME. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  4. ^ Everyday Life (vinyl edition booklet). Coldplay. Parlophone. 2019.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ "Coldplay launch new song Higher Power into the world from Space". Contactmusic.com. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Coldplay Fans Think They've Deciphered the 'Alien Radio' Album Tease Mystery". Billboard. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  7. ^ "Coldplay tease "Alien Radio" project – New Single Coming May 7th". Anglotopia.net. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Coldplay tease new project 'Alien Radio' in mysterious social media clip". NME. 27 April 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b @coldplay (29 April 2021). "Higher Power is a song that arrived on a little keyboard and a bathroom sink at the start of 2020. It was produced by Max Martin who is a true wonder of the universe. It's out on Friday 7 May. Love c, g, w & j" (Tweet). Retrieved 29 April 2021 – via Twitter.
  10. ^ Aswad, Jem (29 April 2021). "Coldplay Return With New Single, 'Higher Power,' Next Week". Variety. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  11. ^ Kiefer, Halle (7 May 2021). "Get Your Holograms Up and On Their Feet for Coldplay's New 'Higher Power' Music Video". Vulture. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  12. ^ Hussey, Allison (6 May 2021). "Listen to Coldplay's New Song "Higher Power"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  13. ^ "Chris Martin wants to perform Coldplay's 'Star Wars'-inspired new music on the moon". Retro Pop. 10 June 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  14. ^ "Anyone who appreciates JB's guitar on TiT is my friend for life. Hope you guys are enjoying EL. Can't tell you how happy it makes us that you like that album. See you tomorrow PH #LunarWithColdplay". Twitter. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  15. ^ "Love c, g, w & j (and p)". Twitter. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  16. ^ Skinner, Tom (5 May 2021). "Coldplay to premiere 'Higher Power' with link-up to International Space Station". NME. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  17. ^ "Listen to Coldplay's brand new single 'Higher Power'". NME. 6 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  18. ^ "Music of the Spheres Vinyl 12" Album Free shipping over £20". HMV Store. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
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