Despite once being named as the band that most people use to go to sleep, Coldplay has slappers, ragers, and bangers in multitudes. They were influenced by Brit-rock’s post-Radiohead groove and churn, and they still have parts of that DNA contained in their songwriting. The band’s move towards pure pop in this decade has diluted that weirdness, which is fine! But as Coldplay’s new single “All I Can Think About Is You” proves, you can’t take the arty seriousness out of the aughts UK band.
The song is uncharacteristically brooding, with Chris Martin sticking to his little-heard lower register. Eventually the slow-cooking boils over into the kind of climaxes Coldplay used to do, e.g. play a cool chord sequence loudly and satisfyingly. It’s something of a welcome, interesting diversion from the giddy dance-rock of A Head Full of Dreams. It’s also worth noting that this song’s parent EP, Kaleidoscope, has a song called “A L I E N S.” Yes, that is the band’s formatting. Anyways, listen to “All I Can Think About Is You” above.
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Phil has definitely thought too hard about the verse chords of “X&Y” before. He’s on Twitter.
