Coldplay are rumoured to be releasing a surprise new album of more “experimental” material next month – before another album follows in 2020.

The band, who haven’t released an album since 2015’s acclaimed ‘A Head Full Of Dreams‘, were believed to be dropping a new record in 2019 after friend, director and collaborator Mat Whitecross previously told NME that they were due to regroup and that things could take a “surprising turn“.

Now, a source has told The Daily Star that the band are set to follow a similar pattern to the release of ‘Ghost Stories’ before ‘A Head Full Of Dreams’ and drop a more “arty” album shortly before a more “mainstream” album next year.


“The first album is the more experimental side of Coldplay, they probably won’t tour until 2020 when the next one arrives,” the source said.

NME has contacted a Coldplay spokesperson for comment.

Speaking to NME about Coldplay’s new material, Whitecross said: “I’ve heard a few things and filmed a few bits of them talking about it, but I don’t think I’m allowed to share anything. It’s interesting.

“They’ve been such a successful band that the narrative that gets portrayed of them in the press is ‘Oh, they must be very middle of the road. Whether you love the band or not, each album is an experimentation and markedly different from the last one. Just like a band like Radiohead. They haven’t written a ‘Kid A’ yet where their entire fanbase goes ‘What the fuck is this?’, but I feel like if you play the first one then the most recent, it’s not a foregone conclusion. They always want to be challenging themselves and surprising other people – that’s why they work with people like Brian Eno. In that sense, I’m sure whatever they do next will surprise people.”

Whitecross added: “After every album, they just feel so spent. Chris always feels like ‘Oh, we’re done now. As a band we don’t have anything else left to say’. Gradually, it all rekindles and they start to get excited about what’s happening next.”


Meanwhile, with Coldplay confirmed to perform alongside Metallica and Billie Eilish for a ‘Live Aid’ style charity gig to fight world poverty next month, the band are also among those rumoured for the Glastonbury 2020 line-up.