Coldplay’s name has been floating around for decades, but I had yet to sit down and listen to an album by the band prior to the release of their newest album Music of the Spheres. Similara to the song titles, which were an extravaganza of phrases, singular words, and emojis, the tracks themselves had a blend of familiarity and unknown.

The first song I headed towards was “Higher Power.” Unfortunately, the song itself has very little power. When the song began, I was actually excited—there was something about it that vaguely reminded me of 90’s cartoons. 

However, once the lyrics started to fall into place, the exciting qualities started to fade away. It was fairly enjoyable, but when the song was about to come to a crescendo, I felt as though it was an utter disappointment despite the explosion of voice. I didn’t love the way it played out, despite the fact that there was clear potential.

“People of the Pride” was another song that started off with a great beat, and thankfully, that driving force was upheld throughout the rest of the track. The vocals could not have clicked better with the background music, and the switch from an electronic sound to one that was more acoustic brought a beautiful variety. The lyrics I caught were moving, but they kept up with the rest of the fiery song. While some of the other songs in this album were slower and basic, “People of the Pride” was an exception to my overall feelings towards the album.

“Humankind,” on the other hand, was likely my least favorite song out of the entire album. I disliked the repetitiveness, and there was no key feature of the song that drew me in. It would definitely be the song I would skip or change the station that I heard it on purely out of annoyance.

Despite being repetitive as well, “Biutyful” was a tune I may actually add to my everyday playlist. The song was the type I would typically consider too sappy for my regular listening, but oddly enough, I found the high pitches sweet and endearing. Even the ending kept me intrigued as the voices became distorted, leaving me with an odd feeling.

Though some nostalgia in music can be a nice break from the new songs being released, it isn’t always ideal when it feels like it belongs in an earlier decade. This was the case with “My Universe;” I didn’t necessarily dislike the song, but it sounded like every other song from 2010, which isn’t exactly what I was looking for in Music of The Spheres.

While many of the songs in Music of The Spheres were fairly mainstream, “Coloratura” completely shattered that impression. The name of the song, “Coloratura,” means to have many wide leaps, runs, and trills—it perfectly described the softly sung ten minutes that flew by. With minimal lyrics and notes that brought a gentle spring breeze, I couldn’t help but feel at least a little reflective and relaxed during this serene melody. 

Initially, I wasn’t so on board with Music of the Spheres, but as the album progressed, I began to fall in love with certain songs. In the end, I was satisfied with my experience and thought I had a much better understanding of Coldplay and their music.