The Chainsmokers and Coldplay Collab For New Single 'Something Just Like This'

The pop world is being taken over by the electronic duo of The Chainsmokers. They came into 2017 on a high note with the infectious 'Paris' before announcing a huge North American Tour with Kiiara and Emily Warren in support of their debut record. Memories... Do Not Open is due out in April, but the band found time to share another big single from the record, this time featuring Coldplay.

While the new song 'Something Just Like You' on the surface seems like another average Chainsmokers track, there's a lot of defining factors about this song. For one, Chris Martin's always soulful melodies and lyrics are present, automatically elevating the track pretty high. The first verse reverently chants "The legends and the myths / Achilles and his gold / Hercules and his gifts" to create a very epic tale. The synth progression in the choruses is dark but still fun, as if it's longing for something. The rest of Coldplay offers up some live instrumentation with live drums and guitar (particularly in the last chorus) to make the song a bit more raw.

The entire premise of the song really resonates on a higher level than other Chainsmokers songs. Usually, you'd find yourself listening to a love song from the duo. Perhaps by the intervention of Chris Martin, 'Something Just Like This' is a bit different. This song is about looking up to someone and chasing a dream. The lyrics seem to come from the perspective of an aged man who is remembering the dreams of being a superhero when he was younger. It diverts from the premise of being young and becomes more relevant to an older person's idea of looking up to someone you admire. It's not necessarily confined to love, but rather just a general admiration that inspired a dream.

Musically, though, this formula for The Chainsmokers is getting a bit tired. They really can't seem to escape to sound of 'Closer' - it even sounds like they recycled some sounds from the song in this one. It's the same "popular artist sings then we play a synth progression" formula that they've been doing for a year now, and frankly it's beginning to lose its touch. This song is luckily saved by all the other elements it has going for it, such as its mood and meaning, but the duo seems to be getting too caught up in making the formulaic pop song instead of the right pop song.

The Chainsmokers' debut LP Memories... Do Not Open is out on April 7, but we're sure we'll hear some more songs from it before it drops. Coldplay helped spice up 'Something Just Like This' is all ways but one: structure. The song shines in every way except for that, and is The Chainsmokers don't offer up something new soon, it's only a downward slope from here.

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Rating: 85 / 100

Listen to or buy 'Something Just Like This' and Memories... Do Not Open here: