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Anthony Fantano is my favorite music critic. Genuinely shocked to hear he has something good to say about Coldplay. 🤯 I remember him criticizing EL for not being political enough and I'm like we're lucky we got as many songs that were as we did, guy. This isn't like Rage Against the Machine.  

added Qmusic NL https://qmusic.nl/nieuws/stephan-spreekt-coldplay-over-nieuwe-track-higher-power & the full Alt Nation interview   also changed the order for the 28(!) interviews aired on the 7th, they're now listed per country/continent

Thank you so much!  Listening to the interviews. The guys are trying so hard not to say too much about the album 😄

I can hear the "can we" but I don't hear "just wanna go up higher at all". Maybe we'll get a better idea with the live performances in a few days

I know many here are complaining about Jonny's guitar being too underutilized in the song - and it's true - but he's not totally absent. There are little nuggets and guitar licks throughout the song's opening choruses and verses and even it does sound rather unrecognizable due to the effects on the guitar there's no mistaking the guitar in the final chorus - which arguably should have been there the entire time, to be honest. Overall my thoughts on the song are rather mixed - yes, it's a tad bit generic and in line with the resurgence of 80s' synthpop throughout the past 5/6 years (excellent records include Lorde's, Carly Rae Jepsen's, Dua Lipa's, and The Weeknd) but if it had to be a generic song at least it isn't any of the drivel Maroon 5, Imagine Dragons, Lil Nas X, and other pop artists make - it's a "good" kind of generic if such a thing exists. My main problem with the song is the lyrics - arguably some of their dullest and strangest lyrical choices - a random shoe being untied lyric for no reason, a lazily written bridge, over-repetition of certain lyrics, etc. These are arguably some of their worst lyrics - yes, the song still sounds heartfelt but Ghost Stories' songs (which had some of their worst lyrics) had much better lyrics - even Adventure of a Lifetime, Up&Up, and Everglow, pop songs with cheesy lyrics, feel better lyrically than this. But there is more to this song than meets the eye. I did mention that it's a rather generic song - which is true to an extent, but there are weird and random little things that do catch my attention - the backwards lyric (drocer nekorb a ekil me), weird asian-style chanting vocals in the bridge and first verse, the song's hesitancy to fully burst into a wave of euphoria like Hurts Like Heaven or Birds, weird guitar effects and little licks, that signature bit of ambience at the end that either signals a transition into the next song or some ambience supplied by Brian Eno/Jon Hopkins, the rather quiet and subdued ending rather than a loud bang like ETIAW, ASFOS, or Paradise - the song may be generic but there's more to process than one might expect. Now to get to the good stuff - the production and melody. The lyrics are awful, but much of the song's happiness and euphoria is found in those signature, uplifting, and ascending melodies. The Instrumental above shows how good the song could be and - should different lyrics be applied - it could be a really good piece of music rather than just a fun pop tune to dance to. The instrumentals and melodies feel so uplifting and euphoric that it really gives one the feeling of speeding through space at "a million miles an hour". And btw, Guy's bass SLAYS in this song. His bass work in EL was some of if not his best with more pronounced and powerful bass lines and the bass is so far forward in the mix that it feels. so. good. Vocally this is also one of Chris' better outings recently - sure there's probably autotune but it feels more natural than his vocals in ASFOS, Magic, Paradise, AOAL, or any of their more recent work. His falsetto at the last chorus is a particular high point.  Lastly, the production in this song. When I heard max Martin would be producing this song I raised my eyebrows. In fact, I still do, but for entirely different reasons. Those lazy lyrics are signature Max Martin writing, but it's impossible to ignore how good the production here is. Music Critics from NME and even Anthony Fantano have praised the mixing - which, for the first time since 2008, isn't overproduced in a Coldplay pop song. Synths are vibrant and bouncing all over the place, the bass as I mentioned is so loud but well-mixed, the drums, while electronic, are also upbeat - my only gripe is how soft Jonny's guitar and the Love Choir's vocals are - if you have multifaceted and talented musicians then don't bury them in the mix. But other than that, excellent mix. Overall, I have more to like about the song than to dislike. It's no Arabesque, Trouble in Town, or A L I E N S, which contain that progressive experimentation that many of us were hoping for, but for a radio-friendly summer pop song it's quite alright. It's not breaking any boundaries and that's a bit of a disappointment, and though the lyrics give me worry for the upcoming album, I have a feeling many of us will be surprised by the album. I think - just like this song - there's more to the upcoming album than meets the eye. OVERALL SCORE: 6.5/10