When word leaked out that the virtual Glastonbury Live At Worthy Farm festival of last summer had secured a “special” guest performer, the internet went into a frenzy. Would it be Taylor Swift, giving the world a live, in-depth look at folklore for the first time? Could Beyoncé revisit the location of her 2011 Pyramid Stage victory? The options were endless. Then the big reveal occurred, revealing that the mystery headliners were actually a jazz/krautrock side project of Radiohead called The Smile, probably with a hint of irony. It was disappointing even for Kid A fans who have the lines to “How to Disappear Completely” tattooed down their arm.
Compare the excitement surrounding the new song from Coldplay, Thom Yorke and company’s former anthemic rock colleagues and rivals, with the lack surrounding yet another Radiohead spin-off – at this point it feels even their side-projects have side-projects. The song “My Universe,” a collaboration with the Seoul boyband BTS, was released on September 24. With 95.4 million streams to far, the mash-up between two of the biggest performers on the planet has undoubtedly found its audience if it seems as bit as ridiculously over the top as it should.
The ridiculously cute “My Universe” is enticing. The chorus, “You are my universe/And I just want to put you first,” is spoken by Martin, and it has an incredibly maximalist charm. The 44-year-old University College London alumnus dances with extraterrestrials in the video. BTS enters to perform a Korean rap. Martin feels excited even if he doesn’t understand what they are saying. It’s a lovely pop tonic that’s as bubbly as anything.
Coldplay still sounds like Coldplay, and Radiohead still sounds like Radiohead. But in a manner, the two bands—whose roots were in emotionally confused bloke-pop—have taken on opposite roles. The partnership between Coldplay and BTS is a venture into the unknown. As is having Max Martin, a producer for Britney Spears, create the really amusing new album, Music of the Spheres, which is currently available.
It encapsulates Coldplay at their most broad and ambitious, as the cosmic title suggests. Classic Coldplay ballads in the vein of “Yellow” are available. Bright pop workouts that imply their partnership with hit-whisperer Martin was a match made in heaven on the charts. There are also instances where they resemble a happy-go-lucky rendition of Muse’s stadium noodler song. It’s a sparkling mix of items that is hard to look away from.