After seven albums, Coldplay has decided to try something new in album No. 8, “Everyday Life.” It’s refreshing. It’s different. It’s a change for the band, but even though it changed its genre, it did not change the topic it sings about: tragedy. In the past, Coldplay had a very specific sound: soft pop about somber topics. Although their sound is unusual, Coldplay has reached a high level of fame with it. Now, they’ve changed their sound, but not their lyrics.

Their tragic lyrics can be found in many of their top hits. “Fix You” deals with failure, hopelessness and contains one of the most tragically sad song openings there is: “When you try your best but you don’t succeed.” “Clocks” is about missing opportunities and the clock ticking away. “The Scientist” is one of the most famous songs about loss and heartache in modern day pop culture, and contains the famous chorus: “Nobody said it was easy / No one ever said it would be this hard / Oh take me back to the start.”

The tune is what really shines through in Coldplay’s music. Indeed, the telltale instrumentals of “Viva La Vida,” “Paradise” and “Clocks” really distinguished the band’s music. Thankfully, the old Coldplay sound which we all know and love is not completely absent from their new album.

In “Everyday Life,” Coldplay explores many different genres. “BrokEN” is sung in gospel, “Arabesque” is jazz, “When I Need A friend” is similar to church music and “Cry Cry Cry” is blues.

“Everyday Life” deals with more tragic topics than any of their previous works. While past hits dealt with topics with generally sad connotations, Coldplay’s new music deals with tragedies affecting the real world. “Guns” is about the police brutality epidemic, and “Orphans” is about the refugee crisis. Coldplay is turning over a new leaf with its music – it is done with upbeat, soft pop ballads and has set out to make a statement about how the world needs to change. In fact, it will not even be touring its new album, stating that tours are detrimental to the environment.

“We’re not touring this album,” lead singer Chris Martin said in an interview with USAToday. “We’re taking time over the next year or two to work out how our tour can not only be sustainable [but] how it can be actively beneficial. All of us have to work out the best way of doing our job, [we want future tours to] have a positive impact.”

Rating: 9/10

Opinion articles written by staff members represent their personal views. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent WSPN as a publication.