Moon Music
Moon Music is the tenth studio album by British rock band Coldplay. Released on 4 October 2024 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and Atlantic in the United States, it serves as the second part of their Music of the Spheres project, the first being From Earth with Love. Three editions of the album were made available: Notebook, Tour and Full Moon. Each one has its own exclusive content, including voice memos and bonus tracks.
Production was primarily handled by Bill Rahko, Dan Green, Michael Ilbert and Max Martin, with additional work by Jon Hopkins, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Oscar Holter and the Chainsmokers. Hopkins is also credited as a featured artist, along with Burna Boy, Little Simz, Elyanna, Tini and Ayra Starr. To promote Moon Music, Coldplay released the singles "Feelslikeimfallinginlove", "We Pray" and "All My Love", later complemented by a visual album called A Film for the Future. The band supported both albums from their Music of the Spheres project on the Music of the Spheres World Tour.
Moon Music received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its melodies and diversity, 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 first-week sales of the decade by a group. 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 reached number one on both charts simultaneously.
Background
Following the release of Coldplay's ninth studio album Music of the Spheres, the subtitle Vol. I: From Earth with Love was mentioned several times, hinting at a follow-up to the album in the following years. In January 2023, while speaking to CityNews about the Music of the Spheres World Tour, Chris Martin revealed the title of their next album, Moon Music, declaring that it was in its finishing stage and that it would be the second Music of the Spheres volume. Throughout the Music of the Spheres World Tour, the band performed some songs from their tenth record project.On 17 June 2024, Coldplay announced through their social media that Moon Music would be released on 4 October. On 16 August 2024, the band revealed its track listing. El Mundo, Los Angeles Times, Vulture, and To Vima ranked the album among the most anticipated of the year.
Recording and composition
The album was partially recorded at the Punta Paloma studio in Tarifa, Spain. 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. Asked about the meaning behind the title, Chris Martin stated "it has to do with accepting all the different phases " and "shining your light without any needs for anything in return". Moon Music is generally described as a pop rock album with music influences from funk, afrobeat and electronic music.Artwork and package
The album cover features a moonbow shot, taken by Argentine photographer Matías Alonso Revelli in 2020. Coldplay's team contacted him directly to use the picture, and while he offered more options, the band ultimately maintained their initial choice. The rest of the package was designed by long-time collaborator Pilar Zeta. CD versions of Moon Music were created from 90% recycled polycarbonate, while each vinyl came from nine recycled PET-plastic bottles. Both products were the first of their kind, being sourced from post-consumer waste streams. Variety reported that taking this measure prevented the manufacturing of more than 30 metric tonnes of virgin plastic across all formats.Promotion
Budget
According to court documents released ahead of Moon Music, former manager Dave Holmes claimed to have negotiated a £35 million budget advance with Parlophone. Expenses included clearing samples, arranging recording sessions, recruiting producers and promotional campaigns. However, since he was dismissed from his duties afterwards, it remains unclear whether or not the entire budget was used.Marketing
In anticipation for the album, the band launched numerous immersive listening pop-up events around the world. 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. Coldplay also partnered with Record Store Day to have premieres in indie record stores across the United States on 1 October, while the following day saw the launch of a global theatrical event. NME shared that all proceeds from "Good Feelings" would be donated to Choose Love. 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. As part of FC Barcelona's sponsorship deal with Spotify, Coldplay launched a new team shirt design and had its proceeds directed toward UNHCR. They also collaborated with TikTok and Roblox. On 22 January 2025, the group released A Film for the Future. It was executive produced by Ben Mor, featuring more than 150 artists from 45 countries worldwide. The premiere was held on YouTube, with 360-degree screenings also taking place in select cities.Singles
Lead single "Feelslikeimfallinginlove" was released on 21 June 2024, with its music video being shot at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens, Greece. Regional outlets estimated that the filming had a budget of €3 million, ranking among the most expensive of all time. The second single, "We Pray" featured Little Simz, Burna Boy, Elyanna and Tini and was made available on 23 August. Despite not being a single, "IAAM" received a special premiere on 27 September, as part of the EA Sports FC 25. The third and final single, "All My Love", came out with a lyric video on 4 October. Chris Martin stated it would be the final single from Coldplay's career. The official music video, starring American actor Dick Van Dyke, was released as a director's cut on 6 December and followed by a shorter version on 13 December. Spike Jonze and Mary Wigmore shot the footage.Critical reception
Reviews
Moon Music received generally mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 58 based on 13 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews". 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". She also commented that both the lyrical and musical choices suggest an expression of resilience, as 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".Clash 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". 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". 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". She criticised the lyrics for not exploring sentiments with enough depth and the frequent use of sing-alongs, such as on "All My Love", but noted that "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 the record's most beautiful and exploratory song, too".
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". 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". The Standard El Hunt said that the album retreads "all-too-familiar themes to an uneven soundtrack".
Rankings
Accolades
Commercial performance
Moon Music went number one in 16 countries around the world. It debuted atop the UK Albums Chart with 236,796 units sold, becoming Coldplay's 10th chart-topper, their fastest-selling release since Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, and the biggest opening for a group since One Direction's Midnight Memories, which moved 237,338 units. They became the sixth band in history to achieve 10 number-one records, after the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, U2, ABBA and Queen. The album also had the largest debut for a British act since Adele's 30, outselling the rest of the Top 40 combined and becoming the ninth biggest release of the year in the country. The Official Charts Company stated it was the fastest-selling CD of the decade as well.In Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the United States, Moon Music became the band's first number-one album since Ghost Stories. It sold 120,000 equivalent units on the Billboard 200, their best debut in American territory since A Head Full of Dreams. Coldplay also topped the Artist 100 ranking for the first time ever. By scoring a fifth number-one project, they became the British musicians with the most 21st century chart leaders stateside.
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. Despite opening at number two in Australia, the record went number one in the following month. It ruled the ARIA Top 20 Vinyl Albums chart as well, becoming Coldplay's second release to achieve the feat. In France, it reached number three with 19,213 units, outselling chart-topper Music of the Spheres. The album was also their first weekly best-seller since Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends in Austria. Multiple songs appeared on South Korea's Circle Download and Circle BGM charts, including the non-single track "Good Feelings".