Kaleidoscope EP is the thirteenth extended play by British rock band Coldplay.[4] It was released worldwide on 14 July 2017 and serves as a companion piece to Coldplay's seventh studio album, A Head Full of Dreams (2015).[5] The EP was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.[6]

Kaleidoscope EP
EP by
Released14 July 2017 (2017-07-14)
Genre
Length24:57
Label
Producer
Coldplay chronology
A Head Full of Dreams
(2015)
Kaleidoscope EP
(2017)
Global Citizen – EP 1
(2018)
Singles from Kaleidoscope
  1. "Something Just Like This"
    Released: 22 February 2017[2]
  2. "Miracles (Someone Special)"
    Released: 14 July 2017[3]

Background

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On 21 November 2016, Chris Martin announced the EP title on the band's official Twitter account, it is the same as an interlude track from A Head Full of Dreams (2015).[7] The release was originally due to 2 June, but it was delayed to 30 June and then 14 July without any previous announcement from the band.

Singles

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The Chainsmokers and Coldplay collaborated on the first single "Something Just Like This", which was released on 22 February 2017. For the EP, a previously unreleased version, titled "Tokyo Remix" was recorded live in Tokyo, Japan in April and released on June 23. The full extended play was released on the same day as the second single "Miracles (Someone Special)" on 14 July 2017.

Promotional singles

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On 22 February 2017, Spotify prematurely posted a banner ad at the top of the site’s home page featuring the graphic of "Something Just like This" with a Listen Now button.[8] The track listing of the album and "Hypnotised" were released on 2 March 2017.[9] "All I Can Think About Is You" was released on 15 June 2017 as the second excerpt from the EP with an accompanying lyric video, which was directed by I Saw John First.[5]

On 7 July 2017, after the band's performance in Global Citizen Festival Germany, "Aliens" (stylised as "A L I E N S") was released as a charity single. The animated lyric video was directed by Diane Martel and Ben Jones and came out on the same day. All profits earned from it were donated to Migrant Offshore Aid Station, an international non-governmental organisation which rescues refugees.[10]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic63/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [12]
The Guardian     [13]
NME     [14]
Pitchfork5.8/10[15]
PopMatters          [16]
Rolling Stone     [17]

Upon release, Kaleidoscope received positive reaction from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 63 out of 100 based on 8 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[18] Reviewing for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine comments "Coldplay haven’t entirely been sucked into the machinery while trying to subvert pop music from within", giving the EP three and a half stars.[19]

Harriet Gibson of The Guardian gave the EP three stars, writing "This EP is nothing but on-brand, however; euphoric emotion, an earnest, universal message and a coating of tacky charm".[20] Mark Beaumont of the NME wrote "Coldplay don’t just churn out anthems. On their surprise-filled new EP, they test the waters and see what floats", and gave the EP four stars.[21] Pitchfork's Jamieson Fox gave the EP 5.8 out of 10, writing "Kaleidoscope isn’t going to kickstart Coldplay’s critical reappraisal, nor does it deserve to. But it rewards those of us who’ve stuck around with a few songs that capture the band at its best".[22]

Writing for PopMatters, Mike Schiller comments "There’s no story to be told, just a small collection of tunes, some of which work beautifully, some of which fall utterly flat", giving the EP five stars out of ten,[23] and Jon Dolan, reviewing for Rolling Stone wrote "Titled after a soothing interlude from the band's 2015 LP, A Head Full of Dreams, this five-song EP continues that album's mood of tranquil satisfaction" giving it three and a half stars.[24]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Coldplay (Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, and Chris Martin) except where noted.

Kaleidoscope EP track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."All I Can Think About Is You"
  • Coldplay
Rik Simpson4:34
2."Miracles (Someone Special)"
  • Coldplay
  • Simpson
  • Bill Rahko
4:36
3."Aliens"
4:42
4."Something Just Like This" (Tokyo remix)The Chainsmokers4:34
5."Hypnotised" (EP mix)
  • Coldplay
Simpson6:31
Total length:24:57

Notes

  • "Hypnotised" is 6:31 long on digital releases, but 5:55 on CD and vinyl, same as the promotional single version.
  • "Miracles (Someone Special)" features Big Sean.
  • "Something Just Like This" (Tokyo remix) features The Chainsmokers.

Personnel

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Coldplay
Additional musicians

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Certifications and sales for Kaleidoscope EP
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[50] Gold 25,000*
United Kingdom 46,510[c]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Notes

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  1. ^ As per OCC rules, Kaleidoscope EP was not eligible for the UK Albums Chart.
  2. ^ As per ARIA rules, Kaleidoscope EP was not eligible for the Australian Albums Chart.[25]
  3. ^ United Kingdom total sales figures for Kaleidoscope EP as of December 2018.[51]

References

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  1. ^ "Review: Coldplay's 'Kaleidoscope' EP". Variety. 14 July 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  2. ^ "The Chainsmokers Are Working With Coldplay's Chris Martin". Billboard. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  3. ^ Connick, Tom (17 July 2017). "Coldplay share new video for 'Miracles (Someone Special)'". NME. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  4. ^ "Kaleidoscope EP". Coldplay Timeline. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Hear 'All I Can Think About You' + Kaleidoscope EP release details". Coldplay. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  6. ^ Kreps, Daniel (28 November 2017). "Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Bruno Mars Lead 2018 Grammy Nominees". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  7. ^ "Coldplay to release new EP in 2017". Billboard.
  8. ^ "Chainsmokers and Coldplay to Release New Single 'Something Just Like This'". Radio.com. 22 February 2017. Archived from the original on 23 February 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  9. ^ "Hear Coldplay's Soothing 'Hypnotised' From New EP". Rolling Stone. 2 March 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  10. ^ "Coldplay release new track "A L I E N S"". coldplay.com.
  11. ^ "Kaleidoscope EP". Metacritic. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  12. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Kaleidoscope – Coldplay". All Media Network. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  13. ^ Gibsone, Harriet (3 August 2017). "Coldplay: Kaleidoscope review – latest EP piles on euphoria, oiled with tacky charm". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  14. ^ Beaumont, Mark (12 July 2017). "Coldplay don't just churn out anthems. On their surprise-filled new EP, they test the waters and see what floats". New Musical Express. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  15. ^ Cox, Jamieson. "Held up by two good-to-great songs, the lightweight EP is Coldplay's first release in years that feels more like a clearing of the throat than a new, distinct statement". Pitchfork. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  16. ^ Schiller, Mike. "Coldplay: Kaleidoscope EP". PopMatters. Retrieved 24 July 2017. This is Coldplay in 2017, saying 'hi' to the mainstream by pandering to pop, and actually managing to do a not-half-bad job of it.
  17. ^ Dolan, Jon. "Review: Coldplay's 'Kaleidoscope EP' Continues Mood of Tranquil Satisfaction". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 27 July 2017. Our take on the five-song collection from the British hitmakers
  18. ^ Kaleidoscope EP by Coldplay, retrieved 18 August 2017
  19. ^ "Kaleidoscope – Coldplay | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  20. ^ Gibsone, Harriet (3 August 2017). "Coldplay: Kaleidoscope review – latest EP piles on euphoria, oiled with tacky charm". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  21. ^ "Coldplay – 'Kaleidoscope EP' Review – NME". NME. 12 July 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  22. ^ "Coldplay: Kaleidoscope EP Album Review | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  23. ^ "Coldplay: Kaleidoscope EP". PopMatters. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  24. ^ "Review: Coldplay Continue Mood of Tranquil Satisfaction on Latest EP". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  25. ^ "ARIA Chart Watch #430". auspOp. 22 July 2017. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  26. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Coldplay – Kaleidoscope EP" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  27. ^ "On The Charts: July 24, 2017". FYIMusicNews. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  28. ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  29. ^ "Hitlisten.NU – Album Top-40 Uge 29, 2017". Hitlisten. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  30. ^ "Lescharts.com – Coldplay – Kaleidoscope EP". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  31. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Coldplay – Kaleidoscope EP" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  32. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2017. 34. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  33. ^ "Irish Albums Chart: 11 August 2017". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  34. ^ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 32 (dal 2017-08-04 al 2017-08-10)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  35. ^ "Oricon Top 50 International Albums: 2017-8-14" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on September 8, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  36. ^ "Top Album – Semanal (del 11 de Agosto al 17 de Agosto)" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on 11 September 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  37. ^ "Charts.nz – Coldplay – Kaleidoscope EP". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  38. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Coldplay – Kaleidoscope EP". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  39. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Coldplay – Kaleidoscope EP". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  40. ^ "Top 100 Albumes — Semana 32: del 04.08.2017 al 10.08.2017" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  41. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Coldplay – Kaleidoscope EP". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  42. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Coldplay – Kaleidoscope EP". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  43. ^ "Coldplay Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  44. ^ "Coldplay Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  45. ^ "Coldplay Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  46. ^ "Top Albums annuel (Physique + téléchargement + streaming)". SNEP. 1 March 2018. Archived from the original on 18 October 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  47. ^ "Classifiche annuali dei dischi più venduti e dei singoli più scaricati nel 2017" (in Italian). FIMI. Archived from the original (Click on "Scarica allegato" and open the "Classifica annuale 2017 Album combined" file) on 8 January 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  48. ^ "TOP 100 ALBUMES 2017". promusicae.es. 20 February 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  49. ^ "2017 Year End Charts – Top Billboard Rock Albums". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  50. ^ "Italian album certifications – Coldplay – Kaleidoscope" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 11 December 2017. Select "2017" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Kaleidoscope" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
  51. ^ Hanley, James (7 December 2018). "'To be part of this is incredible': Coldplay manager talks the band's future". Music Week. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
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