Moon Music by Coldplay: An Album for Another Civilization?

When I think of Coldplay, I see a British band, I hear a unique voice, and I recall the good times spent listening to their songs. So when I heard that a new album, Moon Music, was coming out, I was thrilled! But then I asked myself: why such a title? Why this constant connection with space? And could Moon Music by Coldplay be hiding a bigger secret?

A New Album with a Total Concept

Announced for the summer of 2024, Coldplay’s new album Moon Music will finally be released on October 4th. The band didn’t want to keep us waiting too long and released several singles in advance, like “FeelsLikeImFallingInLove” and “We Pray,” which set the tone for a new album focused on cosmic forces and lunar influences. With this band, we expect something memorable! And, as always, we see genuine and authentic artists.

An Eco-Friendly Band

For several years now, Coldplay has been committed to reducing the pollution associated with the music industry and their global presence. On Monday, June 3, 2024, the band announced that they had reduced the carbon footprint of their Music of the Spheres tour by 59% compared to their previous world tour through innovative yet insufficient methods. To achieve this, the band implemented a 12-point plan starting in 2021, including kinetic dance floors generating electricity from the audience’s jumps on tiles designed for that purpose, recyclable LED wristbands, and mandatory reusable water bottles.

Moon Music marks another step forward for Coldplay, as the album will be entirely made from recyclable materials. Each copy is made from nine PET plastic bottles recycled from post-consumer waste, a world first.

This love for nature and the planet is a common theme in Coldplay’s work, so it’s no surprise that ecology is at the heart of their philosophy.

A Cosmic Tracklist

The tracklist for Moon Music has been revealed, hinting at a diversity of styles and sounds. In addition to the already known “FeelsLikeImFallingInLove” and “We Pray,” the album will feature tracks like “Jupiter,” “Aeterna,” and even a song represented by a rainbow emoji. All of this reinforces the lunar influence of Moon Music:

1. MOON MUSiC
2. Feelslikeimfallinginlove
3. WE PRAY ft Little Simz, Burna Boy, Elyanna, and TINI
4. JUPiTER
5. GOOD FEELiNGS ft Ayra Starr
6. 🌈
7. iAAM
8. AETERNA
9. ALL MY LOVE
10. ONE WORLD

Why the Title Moon Music?

Although we are familiar with the band’s attraction to space (don’t worry, I’ll give you a recap below), we can still wonder about this album title: Moon Music. Music of the Moon, music that comes from the Moon, music listened to by inhabitants of the Moon? And maybe even more!

Here are some of my interpretations.

Influence of Pink Floyd

Right away, I thought of Pink Floyd’s album The Dark Side of the Moon, released in 1973. Moon Music could be a tribute to this psychedelic rock album, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. Additionally, we find the recurring motif of the Moon, and the album covers might even echo each other.

On one hand, there’s a blue sky with a rainbow moonbow, and on the other, a black sky containing a prism dispersing rainbow light. Like opposites, one side and the other side of the Moon.

Moon Music: A Satellite for Earthlings

The Moon, or Earth I, is Earth’s only permanent natural satellite. It’s the fifth-largest natural satellite in the solar system. This isn’t something I made up; it’s straight from physics books. So, the Moon is a terrestrial satellite, like a compass or nightlight for earthlings. What if Moon Music became a new guide, a new Bible?

That’s what the tracklist makes me think of. “One World,” a rainbow, “We Pray,” “All My Love.” Without hearing the music, we already know it’s about liberty, equality, and fraternity (I’m not stealing France’s motto).

An Album for Extraterrestrials?

I was looking for a third explanation for this title and stumbled upon the album’s Wikipedia page. It lists several anecdotes, including these:

• The Apple Music edition of the album additionally includes a video titled A Film for the Future.
• “Alien Hits / Alien Radio” is stylized as “🌈”.

When I read that, I immediately thought of the Pioneer plaque sent into space in 1972 by NASA. Who knows why, but I felt like Coldplay might be trying to tell the human story to another community, to extraterrestrials? Indeed, a symbol is used to evoke “Aliens” and A Film for the Future is created, as if the band wanted to communicate with another world. Tell me what you think!

A Band That Loves Space

An Intergalactic Collaboration

In May 2021, for the release of the song “Higher Power,” Coldplay went all out! Thanks to Thomas Pesquet and the European Space Agency, the music was played for the first time… in space.

During a 10-minute video conference, the band members chatted with Thomas Pesquet about life aboard the ISS and the view of Earth before listening to Coldplay’s new song.

Tell me if I’m reaching, but the lyrics about this extraordinary being, broadcasted in space… doesn’t that echo what I said about Moon Music, music for extraterrestrials?

Oh yeah, you’ve got a higher power

And you’re really someone I wanna know (oh oh)

This boy is electric

This boy is electric and you’re sparkling like

The universe connected

And I’m buzzing night after night after night (oh oh)

Aesthetic Geared Toward the Cosmos

For this part, I studied Coldplay’s album covers, and you won’t be surprised: Coldplay has dreamed of Earth, the Moon, and space from the very beginning. Here’s a brief overview of what each cover represents:

1. Parachutes: A sun-colored globe
2. A Rush of Blood to the Head: A technological, almost inhuman being
3. X&Y: A mysterious composition around the Baudot code (the first decoding of binary characters)
4. Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends: A reimagining of Eugène Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People
5. Mylo Xyloto: Colorful graffiti featuring M (the boy) and X (the girl)
6. Ghost Stories: Angel wings containing various symbols
7. A Head Full of Dreams: The flower of life in rainbow colors
8. Everyday Life: A vintage photo of the band in early 1900s style
9. Music of the Spheres: A stylized galaxy
10. Moon Music: A moonbow

It quickly becomes apparent that the cosmic aesthetic has been present from the beginning. Indeed, the globe echoes planet Earth, then we see an extraterrestrial, a universal language, a man, a woman, an angel, a flower of life, a galaxy, and a moonbow. And you might tell me Viva la Vida and Everyday Life are off-topic, but no! For Viva la Vida, we see a symbol common to world history and a universal slogan—liberty, happiness! As for Everyday Life, the album is divided into two parts: Sunrise and Sunset. Need I say more?

Conclusion

I must admit that when I set out to write an article about Coldplay’s new album Moon Music, I didn’t expect to learn so much. I knew A Sky Full of Stars and U.F.O, which had already made me wonder about their fascination with space, but I didn’t realize it went so deep! Everything, absolutely everything, is built around their love for space, the Earth, and the beyond.

Bravo, Coldplay, for this originality! Now I can’t wait to listen to Moon Music, maybe even with beings from another world!

Photo : Coldplay’s Moon Music cover