If any band could be labeled as the biggest band of the 21st century, Coldplay would not have any close competitors. Consider this: aside from selling more than 100 million albums globally, two of their concert tours rank within the top 12 highest-grossing concert tours of all time (no other band who has debuted in this century comes within the top 20 of this list). The only bands who have earned more than Coldplay through tours are behemoths like U2 and The Rolling Stones.
However, numbers aside, what has drawn countless people to the world of Coldplay is the incessant charm of Chris Martin’s lyricism—of love, longing, togetherness and optimism—to such saccharine and overwhelming proportions that it becomes difficult not to submit to their charm. While the band has let go of their earlier alternative rock and soft-rock styles and embraced a more synth-infused pop sound with dance elements, the British quartet has managed to stay huge thanks to their eagerness to please and embrace its listeners. While I have not been a huge fan of their output from 2016 and onwards, listening to Coldplay makes me feel a sense of warmth that few other artists can replicate. Therefore, the prospect of listening to a new Coldplay album will never not be exciting for me.
“Moon Music” is the band’s 10th studio effort and a follow-up to their 2021 album “Music of the Spheres.” Like MOTS, Moon Music follows a similar sonic template—a mix of piano ballads, a mix of dance songs, a couple of ambient-prog fusions, some guest appearances and a whole lot of heart. The opener “Moon Music” finds Chris singing, over sweeping strings and twinkling piano, of how he is searching for together in outer space (“But I’m trying to trust in the heavens above/ And I’m trying to trust in a world full of love”). It is a beautiful opener that sweeps the listener in and then leads them into the following “feelslikeimfallinginlove,” which was the first single from this record. Immediately, we are thrown into the spacey dance-pop side of Coldplay (Max Martin is a producer, and it shows). The song gradually blooms into a massive chorus that begs to be played live as loud as possible. “AETERNA” is a highlight—the production is so immaculate it sounds like a starry night. It also helps that the songwriting is solid, garnished with a shimmer falsetto pre-chorus. As a big admirer of the alt-rock sound of Coldplay, I was happy to see some of the songs here go into that territory–notably “RAiNBOW (AliEN HiTS/AliEN RADiO),” a mostly-instrumental centerpiece of the album that sounds ethereal and otherworldly. It finishes off with an excerpt of a speech by Maya Angelou (“When it looked like the sun wasn’t gonna shine anymore/ God put a rainbow in the clouds”). The closer “ONE WORLD” is another example—but while the instrumental flourishes are gorgeous, it does not add anything substantial to the album.
The collaborations on this album are like a mixed bag. Although well-intentioned and lyrically captivating as a call for embrace in a violence-ridden world, “WE PRAY” feels like a clutter of mismatched styles, and less than the sum of its parts—especially since it has Little Simz and Burna Boy on the mix. On the other hand, “GOOD FEELiNGS” featuring Ayra Starr is a bop (“All the good, good feelings we have for each other/ Don’t ever, еver let them go”). This song should have been out this summer—it’s a perfect escapist dance anthem. The album loses its grip when the songs sound like they were reverse-engineered to be sing-alongs for crowds. “JUPiTER” starts off as a bubbly acoustic number about self-love and acceptance, till it abruptly goes into an orchestral chorus filled with a children’s choir backup. The same can be said about “iAAM,” although at the core of it is a solid tune.
My review would be incomplete if I did not mention my favorite song of this album—“ALL MY LOVE.” I won’t be surprised if this becomes the next big wedding song (“You got all my love/ Whether it rains or pours, I’m all yours”). This is the sort of Beatles-inspired piano-ballad that Coldplay specializes in—and it is beautiful. It is moments like these that I get reminded of why and how Coldplay became, and has remained, a band for everyone.
Overall, “Moon Music” is a worthy addition to the Coldplay discography. It might not win them new fans, nor is it wildly adventurous. But this is Coldplay being Coldplay and exuding enough charm to bring a smile on a casual listener’s face. Perhaps that is all we can ask for from a Coldplay album.