Disappointing and traditional fare that takes very few risks, but a decent listen nonetheless.
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4
Coldplay seem a little indecisive. Recent album A Head Full Of Dreams was a departure from their usual fare. Upbeat, energetic, happy even. To describe it as a record jam-packed with whimsy is to undersell just how cheery their seventh – and supposedly final – studio album really is.
And then there’s ‘Everglow.’
Sounding like a leftover from previous album Ghost Stories – a far more traditional, emotional record – ‘Everglow’ does very little to buck the Coldplay trend of sappy, somewhat-indecipherable lyrics. Featuring a piano as the prominent instrument, the single version progresses from a gentle, melodic beat to an impassioned declaration of powerful, romantic feeling. As Coldplay singles go, it’s far from awful, and some parts of the song may elicit some deeper empathy than others. Unfortunately, it veers slightly too heavily towards the phoned-in, especially when one considers the brilliant results that Coldplay achieved when they dared to experiment with less traditional sound and lyrics with 2011’s still tragically underrated Mylo Xyloto.
That isn’t to say I wouldn’t recommend you at least listen to the track, if only to help me figure out what an “everglow” is.
I’m not angry, Chris. Just disappointed.
‘Everglow’ is out now via Parlophone
