Coldplay is nearing the end of their album-making journey. The band is set to release their 10th studio album, Moon Music, on October 4, but frontman Chris Martin has confirmed that they only plan to release two more albums after that.
In a recent interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Martin shared that the band has set a clear limit on their discography. “We are only going to do 12 proper albums and that’s real. Yeah, I promise,” he said, emphasizing that this decision was intentional and meaningful for the band’s creative journey.
Martin also explained the reasoning behind the cap on albums: “Because less is more and, for some of our critics, even less would be even more! It’s really important that we have that limit.”
He further elaborated on how they’ve drawn inspiration from some of the most iconic artists. “There’s only seven Harry Potter [books]. There’s only 12-and-a-half Beatles albums, there’s about the same for Bob Marley, so all our heroes. Also, having that limit means the quality control is so high right now, and for a song to make it, it’s almost impossible, which is great.”
For Martin, the decision to stop at 12 albums isn’t just about creating a neat legacy but also about maintaining the integrity of their music. He stated that Coldplay could be “coasting” at this point but that “we’re trying to improve.” The pressure to make each new album better than the last has driven the band to work harder and push their creative boundaries.
Making a great album, however, isn’t easy, and Martin acknowledged the toll it takes on the band members. “It’s such a lot of wrangling of people,” he admitted, referring to the effort required to bring together the entire creative team. “And I want to give the others some of their life for themselves.”
Martin expressed his desire to give his bandmates, including drummer Will Champion, a chance to explore other avenues. “I don’t want to be, when we’re 60, be like, ‘Will, we need you. Come on! We can do better than this!’” he joked.
Despite Coldplay’s plan to stop producing full-length albums after the 12th, Martin assured fans that the band’s musical journey wouldn’t end completely. “That will always continue in some way, but there’s something about the Coldplay thing. I don’t know where the songs come from. I don’t know where the ideas come from, but that’s just been coming to me for about four or five years now. Like, ‘You have to finish like this,’ and I trust that just like I trust the songs.”
While the band’s future beyond album 12 might not include traditional albums, Martin hinted at other creative ventures. “So if we do something together after that creatively beyond touring, then it’ll be something different, or it’ll be a side thing, or it’ll be a compilation of things we hadn’t finished,” he shared.
For now, Coldplay fans can look forward to two more albums before the band officially wraps up this chapter of their career. With the promise of new music and creative explorations, it seems the end of Coldplay’s album era is just the beginning of something new.
