In 2019, Coldplay released their eighth studio album, Everyday Life. On that day, a friend and I listened to it together, and upon hearing the penultimate track, Champion of the World, she remarked that it was the most "Coldplay-like" song on the entire album.
This comment made me ponder what a "Coldplay-like" song really is, using the band's name as an adjective. Coldplay began with alternative rock, from Parachutes to Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, then gradually shifted towards pop rock starting with Mylo Xyloto.
Many people became familiar with Coldplay during this second phase, with albums like Mylo Xyloto and A Head Full of Dreams, when the band members started wearing vibrant outfits, and their melodies took on a more pop-oriented sound. This is likely the Coldplay my friend was referring to.
Long-time fans of the British band were not particularly enthusiastic about this trajectory of "reinventing themselves." They didn't want Coldplay to become a pop band, which seems to have become a reality with their latest album, Music of the Spheres. They yearn for Coldplay to return to their "original" alternative rock roots. To some extent, I share this sentiment.
Coldplay's next album will be titled Moon Music. With the first single feelslikeimfallinginlove, Coldplay seems to be encouraging fans to "fall in love again." But is it possible?
Echoes of previous albums
Consider Everyday Life as a prequel that sets the stage for the current Coldplay. This album stands in stark contrast to the band's earlier works, incorporating inspirations and melodies from the Middle East and experimenting with more unconventional genres such as gospel, folk, doo-wop, and baroque.
Everyday Life marked the first time Coldplay took such significant risks since Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. Despite earning a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year, the band's bold experimentation did not entirely bear fruit, as Everyday Life was a commercial failure.
Music of the Spheres, the subsequent album, emerged as a direct reaction to Everyday Life. Gone were the monochromatic black and white tones; the album's artwork returned to the vibrant colors reminiscent of A Head Full of Dreams. The songs became more "pop" oriented, with famous bands like BTS featured.
Apart from the space rock-inspired closing track Coloratura, I didn't listen to Music of the Spheres much. Instead, I patiently awaited the next album, hoping that the band would return to the "original" sound that I love.
Read more: Reflections on Viva la Vida - Coldplay
Positive signs for Moon Music?
Even with pop production king Max Martin, the mastermind behind timeless hits like ...Baby One More Time by Britney Spears and I Want It That Way by Backstreet Boys, feelslikeimfallinginlove bears more resemblance to Coldplay's "old" songs rather than the neon-colored tracks of Music of the Spheres.
It is a shimmering love song with catchy melodies, sung by Chris Martin's warm baritone voice; a ballad narrated by a lovestruck individual, blending a sense of optimism and melancholy, with poetic elements that stir the imagination.
However, feelslikeimfallinginlove is not Yellow, Clocks, or A Sky Full of Stars. Jonny Buckland's guitar remains overshadowed by electronic beats. The hook and post-chorus, with their "I know, la la la la la la la la" and "Ah la la, la la, lo lee lo," although designed for audience participation at concerts, still demonstrate a certain lack of creativity.
Does feelslikeimfallinginlove make me excited about the album Moon Music? Yes, but not completely.
The "half-empty" perspective suggests that Moon Music is a continuation of Music of the Spheres, the Coldplay album I liked the least. After all, the band announced that Moon Music will be the second part of Music of the Spheres, with the 2021 album's full title being Music of the Spheres - Vol. I: From Earth with Love, and Moon Music titled Music of the Spheres Vol. II.
Like Music of the Spheres, Max Martin remains the lead producer, so it's likely that pop and electronic elements will still be present in Moon Music. Information about a collaboration with The Chainsmokers on one track, along with the heavily electronic pop song Aeterna teased by the band during a performance, further fuels this concern.
However, the "half-full" perspective focuses on the return of Brian Eno and Davide Rossi, two producers of Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, and the melodic tune of One World—another song Coldplay has previewed and is likely to be the closing track of Moon Music. These elements give hope that the new songs will still contain a touch of the "old" Coldplay.
Not the "old" Coldplay, but that's okay
feelslikeimfallinginlove aims to make us fall in love with Coldplay all over again. But to fall in love again implies that the love was once lost. For me, that love never faded.
The truth is, for Coldplay to achieve the fame they have today, they have had to continually adapt, change, and experiment. Yet, regardless of the "variant" of their style, Coldplay's music has always taken listeners on a journey through different realms and emotions.
feelslikeimfallinginlove gives me hope. Maybe not with absolute optimism, but hope for Moon Music. Whether that hope will be rewarded is a story for the future, when the album releases on October 4th. But if Moon Music turns out to be just like Music of the Spheres (or worse), Coldplay still has two more albums to release before they stop making music. Perhaps with those two albums, they will return to their original style, ending as they began.