For other extended plays and uses, see Kaleidoscope (disambiguation).
Kaleidoscope EP
EP
ArtistColdplay
CoverColdplay - Kaleidoscope (EP).jpg
Released14 July 2017
Genre
Label
Producer
Prev year2015
Next year2018

Kaleidoscope EP is the thirteenth extended play by British rock band Coldplay.[2] It was released worldwide on 14 July 2017 and serves as a companion piece to the band's seventh studio album, A Head Full of Dreams (2015).[3] The EP was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.[4]

Background

On 21 November 2016, lead singer 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).[5] 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

Commercial singles

The Chainsmokers and Coldplay collaborated on the lead single "Something Just Like This", which was made available on 22 February 2017. For the extended play, a new version titled "Tokyo Remix" was recorded live in Tokyo, Japan in April and released on 23 June.

Promotional singles

The band revealed "Hypnotised" and the track listing of the EP on 2 March 2017.[6] "All I Can Think About Is You" came out on 15 June as the second offering, with an accompanying lyric video directed by I Saw John First.[3] On 7 July, following Coldplay's performance at Global Citizen Festival Germany, they launched "Aliens" as a charity single. All profits were donated to Migrant Offshore Aid Station, an international non-governmental organisation which rescues refugees.[7] The animated lyric video was directed by Diane Martel and Ben Jones. On 14 July, "Miracles (Someone Special)", featuring Big Sean, was sent to Italian radio stations as a promotional single.[8] A visualiser debuted in the following day.[9]

Commercial performance

Kaleidoscope EP debuted at number 15 on the US Billboard 200,[10] with 24,000 album equivalent units sold.[11]

Critical reception

Upon release, Kaleidoscope EP 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".[12] 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.[13]

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".[14] 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.[15] 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".[16]

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,[17] 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.[18]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Coldplay except where noted.

Notes

  • "Hypnotised" is 6:31 long on digital releases, but 5:55 on physical editions, same as the promotional single version.

Personnel

Coldplay
Additional musicians

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for Kaleidoscope EP
Chart (2017)[a]Peak
position
Argentine Albums (CAPIF)[19]12
Australian Singles (ARIA)[b]56
Italian Albums (FIMI)[20]1
Japanese International Albums (Oricon)[21]1
Mexican Albums (AMPROFON)[22]5
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[23]2

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for Kaleidoscope EP
Chart (2017)Position
French Albums (SNEP)[24]186
Italian Albums (FIMI)[25]43
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[26]67
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[27]40

Notes

  1. ^ According to the Official Charts Company rules, Kaleidoscope EP was not eligible for the UK Albums Chart.[28]
  2. ^ According to the Australian Recording Industry Association rules, Kaleidoscope EP was not eligible for the Australian Albums chart.[29]

References

  1. ^ "Review: Coldplay's 'Kaleidoscope' EP". Variety. 14 July 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  2. ^ "Kaleidoscope EP". Coldplay Timeline. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  3. ^ "Hear 'All I Can Think About You' + Kaleidoscope EP release details". Coldplay. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  4. ^ Kreps, Daniel (November 28, 2017). "Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Bruno Mars Lead 2018 Grammy Nominees". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  5. ^ "Coldplay to release new EP in 2017". Billboard
  6. ^ "Hear Coldplay's Soothing 'Hypnotised' From New EP". Rolling Stone. 2017-03-02. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  7. ^ "Coldplay release new track "A L I E N S"". coldplay.com.
  8. ^ "Coldplay é Big Sean "Miracles (Someone Special)" – (Radio Date: 14/07/2017)". radiodate.it. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  9. ^ "Kaleidoscope EP Out Now + Miracles (Someone Special) Lyric Video!". Coldplay. 15 July 2017. Archived 12 December 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  10. ^ "Billboard 200 – Week of August 5, 2017". Billboard. 5 August 2017. Archived 7 October 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  11. ^ "Coldplay Back in View". Billboard. 5 August 2017. p. 144. Archived 1 February 2026 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  12. ^ "Kaleidoscope EP by Coldplay", retrieved 2017-08-18
  13. ^ "Kaleidoscope – Coldplay | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  14. ^ Gibsone, Harriet (2017-08-03). "Coldplay: Kaleidoscope review – latest EP piles on euphoria, oiled with tacky charm". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  15. ^ "Coldplay – 'Kaleidoscope EP' Review – NME". NME. 12 July 2017. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  16. ^ "Coldplay: Kaleidoscope EP Album Review | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  17. ^ "Coldplay: Kaleidoscope EP". PopMatters. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  18. ^ "Review: Coldplay Continue Mood of Tranquil Satisfaction on Latest EP". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  19. ^ "Los Discos Más Vendidos" [The Best-Selling Albums] (in Spanish). Diario de Cultura. 20 August 2017. Archived from the original on 23 August 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  20. ^ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 32 (dal 2017-08-04 al 2017-08-10)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  21. ^ "Oricon Top 50 International Albums: 2017-8-14" (in Japanese). ORICON NEWS. Oricon. Archived 8 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  22. ^ "Top Album – Semanal (del 11 de Agosto al 17 de Agosto)" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived 11 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  23. ^ "Top 100 Albumes — Semana 32: del 04.08.2017 al 10.08.2017" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  24. ^ "Top Albums annuel (Physique + téléchargement + streaming)". SNEP. 1 March 2018. Archived from the original on 18 October 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  25. ^ "Classifiche annuali dei dischi più venduti e dei singoli più scaricati nel 2017" (Click on "Scarica allegato" and open the "Classifica annuale 2017 Album combined" file) (in Italian). FIMI. Archived from the original on 8 January 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  26. ^ "TOP 100 ALBUMES 2017". promusicae.es. 20 February 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  27. ^ "2017 Year End Charts – Top Billboard Rock Albums". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  28. ^ "Rules for Chart Eligibility – Albums". Official Charts Company. 31 August 2023. Archived from the original on 8 June 2025. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  29. ^ "ARIA Chart Watch #430". AusPop. 22 July 2017. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2025.