I've been consistently disappointed with Coldplay since the release of Ghost Stories in 2014. Were you to ask anyone that's known me since that time, they'd assuredly corroborate that statement. As I do with just about any record I haven't yet heard, I gave it a fair shake; I tried to get into it. It wasn't bad by any means, there was just too much left to be desired. I retained hope that they could turn things around with 2015's A Head Full of Dreams, but by the time it made its way out into the world, the demise of the very qualities that made this band so appealing to begin with seemed imminent. If that record in and of itself wasn't already enough to convince me this was the case, I sure grew even more doubtful when they shared their Chainsmokers-featuring hit single, "Something Just Like This", in 2017. But even still, believe it or not, I never did completely let go of that hope that they could get back to being as great as they once were.



Fast-forward to October of this year, which brought the announcement of the ambitious, experimental double album Everyday Life, as well as the release of its two leading singles. I heard these, of course, within hours of their release ... to no real surprise, my expectations weren't elevated much at all initially. I found "Arabesque" to be rather repetitive, not unlike a broken record, though I enjoyed the swaggering, horn-led instrumentation to some degree. As for "Orphans", its merit as a well-produced, anthemic pop track was certainly clear, (as is usually the case when you bring in Max Martin to lend a hand), but it only registered like the band's best attempt at emulating U2, which diminished the originality and the overall fun of it. Bummer.



Here's where things start to take a turn. Just a couple of days ahead of the record's release, the band shared two more singles ("Daddy" and "Champion of the World") to further fuel the anticipation, and I couldn't believe my ears. That unmistakable, classic Coldplay sound had returned. I kept my expectations right where they were, as to avoid a potential major letdown after taking in the finished product, but I knew I was going to have to give the record a good listen. And then that listen became one more, and that one more became two more, and that two more became three more, and so on ... and it began to sink in. They finally delivered another great album.





It's no walk in the park making a record that will be talked about for years to come, and not even with the hardest of work can you ever guarantee such an outcome, but one of the most crucial steps in the right direction is to ensure that the record and its themes are at least somewhat reflective of the time in which it is released; Coldplay have checked that off, all up and down this tracklist.



"Trouble In Town", to me, is the real starting point. Backed by a smattering of slithery drums, swirling atmospheric synths and gentle piano, frontman Chris Martin delivers a scathing statement regarding the increase in police brutality of non-white people in America. Its first half seems to come through rather sweet and soft-spoken in style, playing with the listener's expectations before suddenly exploding into a vigorous, intimidating crescendo as the second half begins. This portion of the song is juxtaposed with a sample of real audio recorded in 2013, during an incident of Philip Nace and his partner. , to me, is the real starting point. Backed by a smattering of slithery drums, swirling atmospheric synths and gentle piano, frontmandelivers a scathing statement regarding the increase in police brutality of non-white people in America. Its first half seems to come through rather sweet and soft-spoken in style, playing with the listener's expectations before suddenly exploding into a vigorous, intimidating crescendo as the second half begins. This portion of the song is juxtaposed with a sample of real audio recorded in 2013, during an incident of racially-motivated police brutality by Philadelphia police officerand his partner.



Coldplay also waste no opportunities to explore some newer, more unfamiliar territory on this record, whether it be "BrokEn", a rather sparse piano-and-snaps track where Martin pours his entire soul out with the assistance of a church choir comparable to the one you'd find at Kanye West's Sunday Service; "Guns" with its outlaw country-style commentary on the current hot-button issue of ... well, guns; or "Cry Cry Cry", a trip back in time to the era of 50's doo-wop, complete with some pitched-up vocals and vinyl crackling to master the feeling. Additionally, the first two singles, which I clarified that I didn't care that much for on their own when they first came out, have really grown on me and taken on new meaning with the context of the full record.



In my eyes, another one of the most noticeably unique things about Everyday Life is that it near-perfectly combines the best aspects of Ghost Stories and 2008's Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends; at some moments (though not a great many), it even seems to revert further than that, channeling peak works like 2005's X&Y or 2002's A Rush of Blood to the Head.



This record is just as brave and bold as it was built up to be prior to its release, tackling no shortage of real-life struggles that America, and the rest of the world, are working on combating right now. Nobody was more assured of Coldplay's fall than I; maybe pleasant surprises aren't such a rarity after all.







Overall rating: 8/10



Favorite tracks: Trouble In Town, BrokEn, Daddy, Arabesque, Guns, Cry Cry Cry, Champion Of The World, Everyday Life



Least favorite: Church











































