Moon Music (full title Music of the Spheres Vol. II: Moon Music) is the tenth studio album by British rock band Coldplay.[2] Released on 4 October 2024 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and Atlantic Records in the United States, it serves as the second part of their Music of the Spheres project, the first being From Earth with Love (2021). Three editions of the album were released: Notebook, Tour and Full Moon. Each one has its own exclusive content, including voice memos, live sets, and bonus tracks.
Moon Music received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its melodies and overall style, but were critical of the lyrics. Commercially, the album peaked at number one in 16 countries, including the United Kingdom, where Coldplay achieved their 10th chart-topper and had the highest opening-week sales of the 2020s by a group — 236,796 units. It also topped the Billboard 200 in the United States with 120,000 units sold, marking the first time since 2016 that a British band went number one on both charts simultaneously.
Following the release of the ninth studio album Music of the Spheres, which subtitle Vol. I: From Earth with Love appears through the album booklet, hinting at a follow-up to the album in the following years. In January 2023, the band announced that they had completed recording the tenth studio album, entitled Moon Music.[3][4] Throughout the Music of the Spheres World Tour, the band performed some songs from their tenth record project.[5]
On 17 June 2024, Coldplay announced through their social media that Moon Music would be released on 4 October.[6] On 16 August 2024, the band revealed its track listing.[7]El Mundo,[8]Los Angeles Times,[9]Vulture,[10] and To Vima ranked the album among the most anticipated of the year.[11]
The album was partially recorded at the Punta Paloma studio in Tarifa, Spain.[12] Coldplay spent two weeks at the office – between July and August 2024 – and used it as a "base of operations" while playing their shows in Rome, Düsseldorf and Helsinki.[12] Asked about the meaning behind the title, Chris Martin stated "it has to do with accepting all the different phases [of life]" and "shining your light without any needs for anything in return".[13]Moon Music is generally described as a pop rock album with music influences from funk, afrobeat and electronic music.[14][15][16][17]
Moon Music is kind of the story of waking up in the morning and feeling terrible about yourself, terrible about the world – depressed, isolated, separate, alone, and not able to be yourself. Through the album, it’s a journey to feeling the complete opposite at the end of the day.
The album cover features a moonbow shot, taken by Argentine photographer Matías Alonso Revelli in 2020.[19] Coldplay's team contacted him directly to use the picture, and while he offered more options, the band ultimately maintained their initial choice.[19] The rest of the package was designed by long-time collaborator Pilar Zeta.[19] CD versions of Moon Music were created from 90% recycled polycarbonate, while each vinyl came from nine recycled PET-plastic bottles.[6] Both products were the first of their kind, being sourced from post-consumer waste streams.[6]Variety reported that taking this measure prevented the manufacturing of more than 30 metric tonnes of virgin plastic across all formats.[6]
According to court documents released ahead of Moon Music's release, former manager Dave Holmes claimed to have negotiated a £35 million budget advance with Parlophone.[20] Expenses included clearing samples, arranging recording sessions, recruiting producers and promotional campaigns.[20] However, since Holmes was dismissed from his duties by Coldplay afterwards, it remains unclear whether the entire budget was used or not.[20]
In anticipation for the album, the band launched numerous immersive listening pop-up events around the world.[21] They were held between 1 and 7 October, including cities such as Auckland, Berlin, Beijing, London, Paris and Toronto, in addition to San Juan's Valle de la Luna.[21] Coldplay also partnered with Record Store Day to have premieres in indie record stores across the United States on 1 October,[22] while the following day saw the launch of a global theatrical event.[23]NME shared that all proceeds from "Good Feelings" would be donated to Choose Love.[24] The Seoul Metropolitan Government teamed up with the band for a drone light show at Ttukseom Hangang Park to celebrate the album and their shows in South Korea.[25] As part of FC Barcelona's sponsorship deal with Spotify, Coldplay launched a new team shirt design and had its proceeds directed toward UNHCR.[26] They also collaborated with TikTok and Roblox.[27][28] On 14 January 2025, the group announced A Film for the Future.[29] Executive produced by Ben Mor, the visual album features over 150 artists from 45 countries.[29] It is scheduled for release on 22 January on YouTube, with 360-degree screenings also taking place in select cities.[29]
Moon Music received generally mixed reviews from critics.[50] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream outlets, the album has an average score of 58 out of 100 based on 13 reviews, which is categorised as "mixed or average reviews".[40] In a four-star review for NME, Rhian Daily wrote it "gently and subtly distils that spirit of weathering any storm, going on a journey from that bleak opening moment to a more accepting, happier ending".[46] She also commented both the lyrical and musical choices suggest an expression of resilience, since the "fake-outs don't just keep you guessing but mirror that feeling of having exhausted all your options, only for you to find the strength to push forward".[46]
Clash's Emma Harrison described Moon Music as "the band's most expansive and intriguing album to date", feeling "like the best friend who helps you through the dark hours".[42] Jon Dolan from Rolling Stone praised its musical range and stated there "is only 10 songs, but it's a lot, and that's the idea — the pop-rock LP as social, psychological, and metaphysical cold-plunge".[1] Hannah Jocelyn told Pitchfork the record has "all the reasons to be sick of Coldplay" but also "all the reasons they'll be missed when they retire".[47] She criticised the lyrics for not exploring their sentiments with enough depth and the frequent use of sing-alongs, but "for every questionable choice, there's a 6-minute nu-jazz vamp or classical prog-pop opus waiting around the corner. Only Coldplay would make a song called '🌈', but only Coldplay would make it [...] beautiful and exploratory".[47]
Ben Beaumont-Thomas of The Guardian agreed with the sentiment, saying "Their 10th album has epic songs that make you feel like you've climbed Everest – but they're undermined by corny lyrics".[44] Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic rated Moon Music three and a half stars out of five, opining that "Like so many of their recent efforts, it's a lot to take on: the freeform snapshots and contemplative experimentation recall the scrapbook approach of Everyday Life, while at its poppiest, Moon Music returns listeners to A Head Full of Dreams and Music of the Spheres. As a sibling set, [...] it does feel like a B-sides, here's-what's-left collection at times, for better or worse".[51]The Standard's El Hunt said that the album retreads "all-too-familiar themes to an uneven soundtrack".[48]
Moon Music went number one in 16 countries around the world.[59] It debuted atop the UK Albums Chart with 236,796 units sold,[60] becoming Coldplay's 10th chart-topper,[61] their fastest-selling release since Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008),[62] and the biggest opening for a group since One Direction's Midnight Memories (2013), which moved 237,338 units.[60] According to the BBC, it was also the greatest week for a British act since Adele's 30 (2021), outselling the rest of the Top 40 combined.[63] They became the sixth band in history to secure 10 or more number-one records, after the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, U2, ABBA and Queen.[64]
In Germany,[65] Italy,[66] Sweden,[67] and the United States,[68]Moon Music became the band's first number-one album since Ghost Stories (2014). It sold 120,000 equivalent units on the Billboard 200, their best debut in American territory since A Head Full of Dreams (2015).[68] Coldplay also topped the Artist 100 ranking for the first time ever.[69] By scoring a fifth number-one project, they became the British musicians with the most 21st century chart leaders stateside.[70]
Additionally, Moon Music was the first time a British group topped the United Kingdom and United States album charts simultaneously since the 1975 with I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It (2016).[70] Despite opening at number two in Australia, the record went number one in the following month.[71] It ruled the ARIA Top 20 Vinyl Albums chart as well,[72] becoming Coldplay's second release to achieve the feat.[73] In France, it reached number three with 19,213 units, outselling chart-topper Music of the Spheres (2021).[74] The album was also their first weekly best-seller since Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008) in Austria.[75]
Mark Savage from the BBC opined that, along with the Music of the Spheres World Tour (2022–25), Moon Music's recycled physical copies put Coldplay "at the forefront of the move to make rock music more sustainable".[76]Spin's Jordan Bassett agreed, mentioning that the band are increasing the demand for eco-friendly vinyls and helping to make them widely adopted in the industry.[77] Craig Evans from Blood Records hailed the project as "monumental".[77] In December 2024, Music Week revealed that the album was the best-selling CD release of the year in the United Kingdom.[78] The Official Charts Company stated that it was also the fastest-seller on the format in the 2020s decade.[79] Local outlets reported that visits to San Juan's Valle de la Luna triplicated since the listening event at the location.[80]
The Apple Music edition of the album additionally includes a video titled A Film for the Future (0:24).
The Notebook edition of the album additionally includes a voice memo for each song, showing their development during the writing process.
With exception of "Feelslikeimfallinginlove", all tracks are stylised in uppercase, though the letter "i" remains in lowercase.
"Feelslikeimfallinginlove" is stylised in all lowercase.
"Alien Hits / Alien Radio" is stylised as "" on select platforms, being a combination of the tracks "Neon Forest", "Alien Hits / Alien Radio: Opus 5" and "Angelsong".
"IAAM" is an abbreviation for "I Am a Mountain".
Sample credits
"Moon Music" contains an excerpt of "Forever Held" by Jon Hopkins.
"Feelslikeimfallinginlove" contains a sample of "Funeral Singers", performed by Sylvan Esso and written by Tim Rutili.
"Neon Forest" contains a sample of "Drone in C" by Sinerider.
A special tour edition was made available on the band's online store between 4 and 7 October 2024. It features 10 bonus tracks recorded during the Music of the Spheres World Tour, with the digital format being accompanied by a 80-page booklet and the CD format being sold exclusively in the United States.[81]
A deluxe edition with 10 extra tracks was released digitally through Coldplay's official store and streaming services on 6 October. Its physical release, exclusive to the United States, was also made available for 24 hours and limited to 5,000 CDs.[82]
Full Moon deluxe edition disc 2 track listing (Blue Moons)
"Moon Music (Elodie)" is a version of "Moon Music" only including the piano, omitting Chris Martin's vocals and the synths and orchestral introduction of the original.
"Feelslikeimfallinginlive" is a live version of "Feelslikeimfallinginlove", and follows the same stylisation as the original.
"We Pray (Be Our Guest)" has no lyrics in the second verse, inviting the listener to write their own; this was included in the "We Pray" single release as the "? Version".
"Angelsong" is the full version of the "Angelsong" portion in "Alien Hits / Alien Radio".
The single version of "Jupiter" omits the outro.
"I Am a Mountain" is a version of "IAAM" with a piano and vocal only arrangement.
^The album's Tour edition draws from the Music of the Spheres World Tour promotional poster, while Full Moon features the standard artwork under a pink and red lighting effect.
^United Kingdom first week sales figures for Moon Music in October 2024.[60]
^"Top Albums of 2024". Amazon Music. 4 December 2024. Archived from the original on 4 December 2024. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
^"Los 24 Mejores Discos del 2024" [The 24 Best Albums of 2024]. El Nacional (in Spanish). 30 December 2024. Archived from the original on 30 December 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
^"Coldplay Come Out On Top". Australian Recording Industry Association. 15 November 2024. Archived from the original on 15 November 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
^"Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 41.Týden 2024 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
^"Slovak Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Retrieved 14 October 2024. Note: On the chart page, select SK – Albums – Top 100 under the left field and "41. týden 2024" on the field besides the word "Řádkové zobrazení".