After a global tease that included mysterious hieroglyphics that popped up on posters around the world, Coldplay confirmed on Thursday (April 29) that their new single, “Higher Power,” will drop on May 7 via Parlophone/Atlantic Records.
“’Higher Power’ is a song that arrived on a little keyboard and a bathroom sink at the start of 2020,” the band tweeted. “It was produced by Max Martin who is a true wonder of the universe.” The announcement capped a week of rabid speculation in the Coldplay Nation sparked by cryptic billboards that pointed to the alienradio.fm website, which featured more of the spacey runes and confounding links.
Enterprising fans, though, managed to crack the code and reveal the song title and release date earlier this week. The global hunt for clues began April 18 with the first Alien Radio tweet, which mysteriously warned, “Transmission incoming. Standby.” That was followed on April 21 by a series of confusing videos featuring a spinning pink symbol over a compilation of voices from all over the world. Next were a series of posts with a jumble of Klingon-like pink symbols on a blue background that were posted all over the globe, with corresponding coordinates.
Fans got to work unpacking the symbols and posting their guesses, writing “In case you missed it, or don’t know where to start… It seems Coldplay are coming back on May 7 with #HigherPower.” At press time, a Coldplay spokesperson did not have any further information about the band’s ninth studio, the follow-up to 2019’s Everyday Life.
