Back in September, Coldplay released “Atlas,” their first new piece of music since 2011’s Mylo Xyloto. That piano ballad, which appeared on the Catching Fire soundtrack and was nominated for a Golden Globe, sounded as if it could have been at home on any of their five studio albums, giving us no real indication of what to expect from their next full-length.
Fast forward to today, when the quartet released the new song “Midnight” and its accompanying Mary Wigmore-directed video. The subtle track has all the makings of something Bon Iver would’ve put on their Blood Bank EP or 2011 self-titled album, with Chris Martin crooning in an Auto-Tuned, multi-tracked falsetto. As for the video, it’s shot to look like a film reel’s negative, showing the band hanging out in some woods and having a bit of synth-induced freakout.
While Coldplay have yet to announce any info on a possible sixth album, stay tuned in the coming weeks. On March 14, the band will headline the opening night of the first American iTunes festival, held in Austin in conjuction with SXSW.
