Coldplay, 'Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall': Review

It’s taken a while, but it finally seems like Coldplay’s formula on how to become one of the world’s biggest bands is finally revealing itself: apparently it’s all down to how you dress.

Back when they first arrived in 2000, Chris Martin and co looked all rather dark and sombre - a mood that was reflected in the brooding anthems of ‘Shiver’ and ‘Trouble’. Then, in 2008, as they teamed up with Brian Eno and Markus Dravs for the military marching songs of 2008’s ‘Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends’, the band returned looking like a gang of army generals.

Three years on and Coldplay are back again with new, apparently graffiti-inspired regalia - and this time it would seem their music is as colourful and explosive as their outfits.

New single ‘Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall’, which debuted today (June 3), is a blossoming stadium-sized dance anthem, propelled in part by the strength of Martin’s lyrics, which spray paint themselves into your conscience.

“I turn the music up, I got my records on, I shut the world outside until the lights come on,” he sings while bashing away on a synth-enhanced piano, which shoots out a simple, yet rave-like hook.

As Martin continues to sing like he’s residing in the happiest place on earth (“Catherdrals in my heart”), the colourful musical symphony is driven by Will Champion’s stomping drums and a bagpipe-esque guitar riff, which sounds not too dissimilar to ‘Life In Technicolour’, from ‘Viva La Vida…’. They all come to a head as the song reaches its evocative conclusion, when everything explodes and Martin lets out “Aaahoooos” amid a storm of uplifting guitars and synths.

As Coldplay prepare to headline this month’s Glastonbury festival, ‘Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall’ is an emphatic litmus test with which to judge people’s readiness for their return.But more poignantly, for a band who already reside in stadiums, their latest incarnation is a splash of colour that sounds like it’s aiming for something a lot bigger - or as Martin puts it: "You can hurt, hurt me bad, But I'll still raise the flag."

Coldplay - 'Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall':