On Oct. 4, British rock band Coldplay released their 10th studio album, “Moon Music.” The cover features a picture of a moonbow, a rainbow produced by moonlight instead of direct sunlight. The album has 10 tracks: “MOON MUSiC” featuring Jon Hopkins, “feelslikeimfallinginlove,” “WE PRAY” featuring Little Simz, Burna Boy, Elyanna and TINI, “JUPiTER,” “GOOD FEELiNGS,” “🌈,” “iAAM,” “AETERNA,” “ALL MY LOVE” and “ONE WORLD.” With the release, the band has made one thing perfectly clear: its message is nothing but pure love.
Sonically, Moon Music has an unmistakable optimistic, upbeat and orchestral vibe. Though the songs are not generally wordy, their word choice has meaning and purpose, resembling poetry more than full-length songs. From start to finish, the album feels like one continuous story. It truly puts a whole new meaning to art, as each track sounds like it came from a certain feeling or idea, and the band fully put their trust into its place in the world.
In an hour-long Apple Music interview conducted by Zane Lowe, all members were interviewed, though Chris Martin — the lead vocalist — was interviewed separately. The band is in the midst of their "Music of the Spheres World Tour," performing for an average audience of around 80,000 people. They claim that this new album, a sequel to its predecessor, “Music Of The Spheres,” is the most political one yet, and brought up the idea of mortality. Since the band previously stated they plan to release a total of 12 albums, they mentioned the idea that “less is more,” so as to say, “If this is the last performance we put on, is it good enough?”
Lowe interviewed a barefoot Martin sitting on large rocks by the sea, with the lead vocalist claiming that he liked to literally keep himself grounded to the earth. Although he enjoys performing to packed stadiums, he finds importance in keeping himself humbled. Sitting by the sea, he claims, reminds him that he’s so small and is a part of something bigger. With a Metacritic score of 58, “Moon Music” has received mixed reviews. However, Martin says that he chooses not to read reviews or go on social media, describing both as “not healthy.” He acknowledges, though, that not everyone will like the art that he produces. He even says, “If it’s not for you, God bless you, it’s okay.”
In the interview, “Moon Music” is described as an “honest reflection of how we all feel at times,” that “we’re all trying to be better.” Martin says that the songs on the album are his way of looking at things, “how to not give up, how to accept reality, how to not hate anyone,” even while having a lot of emotions. When asked where the title came from, he wasn’t sure, suggesting that perhaps it comes from the acceptance of different phases or shining your light without the need of anything in return.
When asked about the track “🌈,” Martin explained it’s about “songs by other artists from other galaxies,” answering the implied question asked in the title track (“If there’s anyone out there, I’m close to the end / If there’s anyone out there, I just need a friend”). The answer, according to Martin, is to “acknowledge how you feel, express it in a safe place that’s not gonna hurt anybody, and then try to be loving.”
“🌈” also ends with a sample of American memoirist and civil rights activist Maya Angelou singing, “When it looked like the sun wasn’t gonna shine anymore / God put a rainbow in the clouds.” The rainbow imagery also has another meaning, as Martin explains, “You have to accept all your colors and all the colors of other people, and once you accept all those colors then you can be yourself. Then you can let everyone else be themselves.”
The acoustic track “JUPiTER” talks about different types of love (as shouted in the song, “I love who I love!”). Martin gained inspiration from watching the many types of people who go to his shows. He then poses the question, “Why would you ever wanna stop someone being themself as long as they’re not hurting anyone else?”
When asked about the penultimate track, “ALL MY LOVE,” he explained that the song just came together, explaining that “some songs arrive fully formed, and you’re just like, ‘Where did that come from?’” He said that the song happened on a “really cheap keyboard” that he took to Jamaica. It became the closing song on his tour, and audiences loved it. At the end of the interview, Martin mentioned that seeing people sing together restore his faith in humanity.
“Moon Music,” Coldplay’s new album that’s all about love, is available now on all streaming platforms.