The mystery of Coldplay‘s forthcoming “experimental” double album Everyday Life has unraveled a bit with the band releasing two new singles on October 24. The songs, “Orphans” and “Arabesque” are available on streaming and on vinyl as a 7″ single released by Third Man Records.
On first listen, “Orphans” is the kind of gentle sprawling number with what sounds like a child chorus singing backup. The song feels tailor-made for a Pixar movie about a talking giraffe, but gets a little punch by Martin’s Forgettable Fire-era Bono-style “woo woos” in the chorus.
On “Arabesque,” Chris Martin and the boys are joined by Belgian rapper/pop star Stromae and Femi Kuti and his band. Kuti and his band add a layer of depth and richness not typically found in Coldplay’s treacly oeuvre. (The band will also unveil a video for “Orphans” on Friday, October 25.)
Although the concept of a Coldplay double album sounds daunting, Everyday Life clocks in at a tidy 53 minutes and is divided into two sections: “Sunrise” and “Sunset.” Given how the band is scheduled to perform on Saturday Night Live on November 2, perhaps they’ll play both new songs on the show.
Along with the new songs, Coldplay unveiled Everyday Life‘s cover art featuring the Mumford & Sons cosplay-looking band photo, which is an homage to a 1919 photo of guitarist Jonny Buckland‘s great-grandfather’s band.
Everyday Life drops on November 22. For more about the upcoming double album, revisit everything we know about it.
Listen to “Orphans” and “Arabesque” below.
