Maps of Music

Moon Music (2024)

Where the lyrics of Moon Music take you, and where it was really made.

The album reached number one in 16 countries, yet critics were split over its lyrics.

Key places

Partly recorded at Punta Paloma, Tarifa (2024)

Recording site Punta Paloma studio — The album was partially recorded at this studio in Tarifa, Spain. The marker shows the studio building's location. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Moon Music: tenth studio album by British rock band Coldplay
• Second part of the Music of the Spheres project; the first part was From Earth with Love (2021)
• Released 4 October 2024 by Parlophone in the UK and Atlantic in the US
• Three editions: Notebook, Tour and Full Moon, each with exclusive content
• Notebook edition: voice memo for each song
• Tour edition: 10 bonus tracks recorded on the Music of the Spheres World Tour, plus an 80-page digital booklet
• Full Moon edition: 10 bonus tracks labelled as Blue Moons
• Production mainly by Bill Rahko, Dan Green, Michael Ilbert and Max Martin

Background

• The subtitle Vol. I: From Earth with Love was mentioned after the ninth album, hinting at a follow-up
• January 2023: Chris Martin revealed the title Moon Music and said it was in its finishing stage
• Some songs from the project were performed on the Music of the Spheres World Tour
• Track listing revealed on 16 August 2024
• Before release, El Mundo, Los Angeles Times, Vulture and To Vima ranked it among the most anticipated albums of the year

Recording

• Partly recorded at Punta Paloma studio in Tarifa, Spain
• Coldplay spent two weeks at the office between July and August 2024
• The office served as a base of operations while the band played shows in Rome, Düsseldorf and Helsinki
• Generally described as pop rock with influences from funk, afrobeat and electronic music

Cover

• Cover photo: moonbow shot by Argentine photographer Matías Alonso Revelli, taken in 2020
• Coldplay's team contacted him directly; the band kept its initial choice
• Rest of the package designed by long-time collaborator Pilar Zeta

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Disc 1

Disc 2

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in London in 1997 by Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland and Guy Berryman, who met at University College London.
• Will Champion joined in January 1998; the group first went by Big Fat Noises and Starfish before settling on Coldplay.
• Signed with Parlophone in 1999 after the EP Safety (1998) was financed by lifelong friend Phil Harvey.

Members

• Chris Martin: lead vocals, piano, keyboards, guitars.
• Jonny Buckland: guitars, keyboards, backing vocals.
• Guy Berryman: bass guitar, keyboards, backing vocals.
• Will Champion: drums, percussion, piano, backing vocals.
• Phil Harvey: manager, later creative director, often credited as a fifth member.

Career

• Debut Parachutes (2000) won a Brit Award and a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album; A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002) and X&Y (2005) followed.
• Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008) won a Grammy for Best Rock Album and topped charts in over 30 countries.
• Music of the Spheres (2021) included My Universe with BTS, the first British group song to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Over 170 million records sold worldwide; the Music of the Spheres World Tour became one of the highest-grossing tours of all time.

Reception

At release

• Mixed reviews from critics, who praised its melodies and diversity but criticised the lyrics
• Metacritic: average score 58 from 13 reviews, meaning mixed or average reviews
• NME: Rhian Daily gave a four-star review and wrote that it gently distils the spirit of weathering any storm
• Clash: Emma Harrison called it the band's most expansive and intriguing album to date
• Rolling Stone: Jon Dolan praised its musical range
• Pitchfork: Hannah Jocelyn criticised the lyrics and frequent sing-alongs, while naming 'Arabesque' and 'Coloratura' as highlights
• The Guardian: Ben Beaumont-Thomas said its epic songs are undermined by corny lyrics
• AllMusic: Neil Z. Yeung gave three and a half stars out of five and said it sometimes feels like a B-sides collection
• The Standard: El Hunt said the album retreads all-too-familiar themes

Records

• UK Albums Chart: debuted at number one with 236,796 units, Coldplay's 10th chart-topper
• Number one in 16 countries, selling over 500,000 copies in its first week worldwide
• Billboard 200: number one with 120,000 units sold, first time a British band topped both charts at once since 2016
• Germany, Italy, Sweden and the United States: band's first number-one album since Ghost Stories (2014)
• Artist 100: Coldplay topped the ranking for the first time
• France: number three with 19,213 units
• Japan: debuted at number 15 with 3,028 physical copies
• Official Charts Company: ranked it the fastest-selling CD of the decade
• Music Week: largest CD sales of 2024 in Britain
• Clio Awards: Gold prize for its sustainable design

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Chris Martin said that All My Love would be the final single from Coldplay's career.
• The official music video for All My Love starred American actor Dick Van Dyke.
• Former manager Dave Holmes claimed to have negotiated a £35 million budget advance with Parlophone, but since he was dismissed, it remains unclear whether the entire budget was used.
• The CD versions use 90% recycled polycarbonate, and each vinyl came from nine recycled PET-plastic bottles.
• Variety reported that the recycling measure prevented the manufacturing of more than 30 metric tonnes of virgin plastic.
• Visits to San Juan's Valle de la Luna region tripled after the location was chosen for an exclusive listening event.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact