Everyday Life is the eighth studio album by Coldplay. It was released on 22nd of November 2019 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and Atlantic Records in the United States. It is a double album (released as a single CD), with the first half titled Sunrise and the other Sunset. The release coincided with 'Coldplay: Everyday Life - Live in Jordan' in which performances of each half of the album were live-streamed from Amman, Jordan, at sunrise and sunset, respectively.
The album was recorded from 2018 – mid-2019, with some songs coming from the Viva la Vida recording sessions in 2007-2008. Many returning producers and collaborators joined the band's efforts, including: "The Dream Team" (Rik Simpson, Daniel Green, Bill Rahko), Davide Rossi, and Emily Lazar. Speculation about the existence of the album persisted in the time between its release and the previous record as rumors circulated that the band would discontinue following their release of A Head Full of Dreams, the subsequent world tour, and a documentary about their first 20 years as a band. This is the second studio album not to be supported by a major tour after 2014’s Ghost Stories.
The album received positive reviews from music critics. Most praised its experimental alternative rock direction and the shift to politically charged lyrics. Everyday Life was praised for its varied song styles in contrast to the old roots of their previous albums Parachutes to Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. Some were less enthusiastic about the execution of the experimental style, citing the album's lack of thematic consistency. Commercially, Everyday Life earned the band their eighth number-one album on the UK Albums Chart and their seventh top 10 US Billboard 200 album. It was supported by two singles, “Orphans” / “Arabesque” in October of 2019, and three promotional singles, “Everyday Life” in November, “Champion of the World” in February of 2020, and “Flags” in December of 2020.
Background and recording[]
Some tracks from Everyday Life have roots a decade earlier in 2009, as producer Daniel Green explains – "We actually started this album just before Mylo Xyloto in 2009, there were songs from this record that had been around since then which just didn't seem to fit on other albums. The single 'Arabesque' was one of those." Rik Simpson, another longtime member of the production team, stated that this album differed in recording style compared to previous records because three members of the band lived in the UK while lead singer Chris Martin lived in the US. The band hoped to travel somewhere to inspire the global sounds of Everyday Life rather than be restricted to a single studio. Therefore, Daniel Green created a mobile studio, inspired by jam sessions during their previous world tour, to be set up in various international locations. They include but are not limited to Villa Tombolino in Tuscany, the Woodshed studios in Los Angeles, The Bakery and Beehive studios in London, and a studio in Johannesburg, South Africa. Traveling around the globe is reflected in the experimental mix of genre influences present on the record, including classical, afrobeat, jazz-fusion, etc. The album was one of the first non-reissue albums to be mixed using Dolby Atmos technology, with the Atmos version made available on Amazon Music, Tidal, and Apple Music.
Composition[]
Everyday Life is a considerable shift in musical experimentation compared to the band's previous albums, with critics deeming it their most experimental release. Its release marks Coldplay's first double album, with the halves titled Sunrise and Sunset, respectively (similarly to X&Y, which is split into an "X" half and a "Y" half, despite being a single album). The album includes a 30-second field recording of clock tower bells ringing the Westminster Quarters melody and spread across 8 tracks, entitled "God = Love", which serves as an interlude for each side of the album. The track titles spell the name of this section and are revealed when the CD is loaded into a computer.
When compared to previous albums released by the band, the lyrics make a stark contrast: even though it still showcases many themes of positivity, equality, unity, hope, legacy, the importance of emotions, and humanity, it also includes racism, police brutality, gun control, loss, and pain, plus references of war in terrorism-inflicted countries. The track "Trouble in Town" includes a sample from a 2013 incident involving racially-motivated profiling and harassment of a man by a Philadelphia police officer; it is the first Coldplay song to feature profanity (although, it is the police officer in the sound recording who uses profanity rather than the track's lyrics), along "Arabesque" and "Guns" (which both feature profanity in their actual lyrics).
Track listing[]
Sunrise
| Title | Writer(s) | Producers | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sunrise" | Guy Berryman • Jonny Buckland • Will Champion • Chris Martin • Davide Rossi | Rossi | 2:31 |
| 2. | "Church" | Berryman • Buckland • Champion • Martin • Amjad Sabri • Rossi • Mikkel Eriksen • Jacob Collier • Norah Shaqur | Rik Simpson • Daniel Green • Bill Rahko • Angel Lopez • Federico Vindver | 3:50 |
| 3. | "Trouble in Town" | Berryman • Buckland • Champion • Martin | Simpson • Green • Rahko | 4:38 |
| 4. | "Broken" | Berryman • Buckland • Champion • Martin | Simpson • Green • Rahko | 2:30 |
| 5. | "Daddy" | Berryman • Buckland • Champion • Martin | Simpson • Green • Rahko | 4:58 |
| 6. | "Wonder of the World / Power of the People" | Berryman • Buckland • Champion • Martin | Simpson • Green • Rahko | 1:16 |
| 7. | "Arabesque" | Berryman • Buckland • Champion • Martin • Drew Goddard • Femi Kuti • Paul Van Haver | Simpson • Green • Rahko | 5:40 |
| 8. | "When I Need a Friend" | Berryman • Buckland • Champion • Martin | Simpson • Green • Rahko • John Metcalfe | 3:12 |
Sunrise / Sunset Interlude
| Title | Writer(s) | Producers | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "God = Love" | Berryman • Buckland • Champion • Martin | Simpson • Green • Rahko | 0:39 |
Sunset
| Title | Writer(s) | Producers | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Guns" | Berryman • Buckland • Champion • Martin | Simpson • Green • Rahko | 1:55 |
| 11. | "Orphans" | Berryman • Buckland • Champion • C. Martin • Moses Martin | Simpson • Green • Rahko • Max Martin • Lopez • Vindver | 3:17 |
| 12. | "Èkó" | Berryman • Buckland • Champion • Martin | Simpson • Green • Rahko | 2:37 |
| 13. | "Cry Cry Cry" | Berryman • Buckland • Champion • Martin • Jacob Collier • Bertrand Berns • Jerry Ragovoy | Simpson • Green • Rahko | 2:47 |
| 14. | "Old Friends" | Berryman • Buckland • Champion • Martin | Simpson • Green • Rahko | 2:26 |
| 15. | "بنی آدم" | Berryman • Buckland • Champion • Martin • Alice Coltrane • Harcourt Whyte • Saadi Shirazi | Simpson • Green • Rahko | 3:14 |
| 16. | "Champion of the World" | Berryman • Buckland • Champion • C. Martin • Andy Monaghan • Scott Hutchison • Simon Liddell | Simpson • Green • Rahko • M. Martin • Lopez • Vindver | 4:17 |
| 17. | "Everyday Life" | Berryman • Buckland • Champion • Martin • Metcalfe | Simpson • Green • Rahko • Lopez • Vindver | 4:18 |
Everyday Life – Japanese edition (bonus track)
| Title | Writer(s) | Producers | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Flags" | Berryman • Buckland • Champion • Martin | Simpson • Green • Rahko | 3:36 |