Coldplay’s Chris Martin on how Fontaines DC reminds him “you can never call it”

Coldplay’s Chris Martin has expressed his admiration for Fontaines DC, recalling how the band reminded him that “you can never call it”.

The topic came up when the frontman spoke to him recently NME in his only written interview for new album Moon Music and revealed the number of new artists that have caught his attention.

Moon Music, out last Friday (October 4th), is Coldplay’s tenth album and the follow-up to 2021’s Music Of The Spheres. Well, in NME Martin exclusively told how the members felt inspired by Fontaines DC and Little Simz.

“When Fontaines or Little Simz come over, you’re just reminded that you can never call,” he explained. “Even if you do something that you think no one will like, you have to be so sure that you are doing it and that you have put every last ounce of energy into it.”

“You know, when (Fontaines) did ‘Starburster,’ no one called it. When I hear that song or IDLES, I’m like, ‘Shit!'” he continued. “We don’t just talk about bands; We’re talking Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Beyoncé – anyone who you can feel is just working so hard.”

His high praise for the Dublin band comes as Grian Chatten and Co. recently shared hit album ‘Romance’; a record NME described as her “most thoughtful and complex work to date.” His praise for IDLES comes after frontman Joe Talbot asked if they could transform Coldplay’s “Yellow” video with AI to make it look like Martin was singing along to “Grace” for a music video.

As for celebrating Little Simz, Martin’s comments come as the Mercury-winning British rap icon recently teamed up with the band for the Moon Music track “We Pray,” alongside Nigerian juggernaut Burna Boy and the Palestinian-Chilean musician Elyanna and the Argentinian singer Tini.

The frontman explained why the band didn’t just look at “middle-aged white people” when collaborating on the album, saying: “We don’t actually need more of them.” It’s fun to see the band focus on other cultures, countries, genders and to expand sexualities. We really believe in that.

“It’s amazing how much talent there is everywhere. It’s also humbling because you realize we benefit from being born English and being able to play anywhere. This is the result of extraordinarily terrible colonialism.”

The album also features Afrobeats don Ayra Starr, who Martin described in NME Interview described as “brilliant”.

Checkout NMEHere’s the full exclusive interview with Chris Martin, where he also talks about the band’s plans to stop writing new material after album 12, their mammoth set at Glastonbury 2024, inviting Liam Gallagher to share some lasagna , and their determination to help support grassroots sporting venues across the UK.

You can also listen to Chris Martin’s exclusive playlist to accompany him NME Interview above on Spotify and here on Apple Music.

In the latter he once again shares his fondness for Fontaines’ “Starburster”. “I listened to it and got crazy jealous, which is my highest compliment… I thought ‘Skinty Fia’ was a masterpiece and I really wanted to hear ‘Romance’ and ‘Starburster,'” he recalls.

“It shows how you become a brilliant band over a long period of time. It’s bold, it’s forward-thinking, it has soul, the lyrics are incredible, the melodies are incredible, the production is incredible, it keeps every other band on their toes. You can play it last in a set when no one knows it yet, and it holds up. It’s perfect.”

“Moon Music” received a glowing four-star review from NMEand described by Rhian Daly as a record that aims to “bring Martin and those who feel like him back from the brink one pop song at a time”.

“This resilience is felt not only in Coldplay’s lyrics, but also in their musical choices. “Several songs on ‘Moon Music’ – such as ‘Jupiter’ and ‘Good Feelings’ – fade out, then return to the speakers,” it said. “These fakes not only keep you guessing, but reflect the feeling of having exhausted all possibilities only to find the strength to keep going.”

Since its release on Friday, the legendary band has performed some of the tracks on Saturday Night Liveand a surprise appearance at the US branch of QVC.