Coldplay, Higher Power | Track Review 🎵

Grammy-winning alternative darlings Coldplay get spiritual and return in spirited fashion on the enjoyable “Higher Power.”

“You’ve got a higher power / Got me singing every second, dancing every hour.”  On their latest single, 🎵 “Higher Power”, 🏆 Grammy-winning alternative rock/pop band 🎙 Coldplay ‘take us to church,’ well, sort of.  “Higher Power,” an exuberant pop record produced by 🎛 Bill Rahko, 🎛 Max Martin, and 🎛 Oscar Holter, thrives off spiritual references without specifically referencing God or a specific deity.  Quite an intriguing, picturesque record as far as sound (those synths, New Wave cues) and ‘spirit,’ “Higher Power” is definitely ear catching from the first time you hear it.

As always, 🎙 Chris Martin is brilliant, serving up energetic and expressive lead vocals.  After so many years fronting the band, he remains potent and filled with personality.  In other words, it’s incredibly easy to buy what he’s selling.  The lyrics aren’t overly complicated and certainly don’t go incredibly deep, even with the spiritual ideas.  The first and second verses feature some repetition and feel more like a ‘vibe’ than something possessing immense depth.  The pre-chorus definitely sets up the centerpiece, the chorus (excerpted above), in all its glory.  Beyond the verses and chorus, there’s the high-flying bridge that celebrates that higher power, as well as an outro which references prayer… well… maybe.  “When for so long I’d been down on my knees,” Martin sings, continuing, “Then your love song saved me over and over.” Again, Martin could be talking about God, a god, or merely someone who ‘saved him’ though not in a salvation sense.

Final Thoughts 💭

All in all, Coldplay does a great job of building some buzz on “Higher Power.”  The title alone naturally does that, but furthermore, there’s lots to heart about this record.  The production, as aforementioned, is quite ear catching. The lyrics are simple but effective by all means, with the chorus being the crowning achievement – quite catchy and memorable.  Furthermore, Chris Martin remains a beast in the front man role.  What’s not to like about a song about a ‘higher power?’ 

🎙 Coldplay • 🎵 “Higher Power” • 🏷 Parlophone • 🗓 5.7.21

[📷: Parlophone]