A review of Coldplay’s latest release, ‘Everyday Life’

After there were rumors of the Coldplay era coming to an end, I decided to cut my losses and grieve quickly, then subsequently forget about them. When I heard they were dropping a new album, I was honestly surprised.

On Nov. 22, Coldplay released their double LP, ‘Everyday Life’ which includes two parts—’Sunrise’ and ‘Sunset’. The songs on each are relatively short compared to past albums where some tracks exceeded five minutes.

‘Everyday Life’ comes four years after their last, ‘A Head Full of Dreams’ which earned them the spotlight at the 2016 Superbowl which was met with criticism.

Since their tour following the performance, the band has been pretty quiet.

In an interview with Alt. 98.7 before the album’s release, frontman Chris Martin talked about the creative undertaking of the album and mentioned their love for all kinds of music and all kinds of people.

This love is very evident in the album as it features music styles that are very different from what you would expect from this radio-pop band.

In not so many words, Martin was not concerned with making hits with this album, but rather just producing a masterpiece of music that the band was proud of. The album was inspired by events in Martin’s own life, his inner circle and the world around him—environment and immigration being two things he spoke on specifically.

“I wanted to remind myself and everyone listening that everyone is special,” Martin commented in the interview. “I think we live in a time where that’s not always the main message.”

Because of this, I think the album may resonate with other cultures other than Western cultures.

The first song of the album starts off with the instrumental track, ‘Sunrise’ which sets the tone of the first half of the album.

For me, ‘Church’ was a stand out on the album as a whole. It features a vocal insert of a racist confrontation between what I assume is a white man and someone of a different culture. This song touches a whole new level of activism as it speaks on a reality for many.

‘BrokEn’ took me right into church with its southern gospel roots and choral vocals. It speaks about hope with its lyrics, “And I know / That in the darkness I’m alright / See there’s no sun rising / But inside I’m free.”

The amount of diversity in this album is incredible and moved me. I think there is a song for everyone on this record. It’s very evident that the band created this album with all kinds of people in mind and it’s their way of putting some light in a world of darkness.

The first half ends with a chilling choral ‘When I Need A Friend’ and jumps into the second half with the fast-paced ‘Guns’ that criticizes America’s love for guns.

The last song, ‘Everyday Life’ bookends the album with complements to its beginning with soothing instrumentals and hopeful lyrics.

While the band has always spoken out politically, I enjoy this new twist of social justice in the form of music.

Overall, the album gets a 4/5. I would have given it a 5/5 but it lacked a streamlined story that their other albums so artfully portrayed.