Ghost Stories by Coldplay

Ghost Stories, Coldplay's sixth album, came out in 2014 on Parlophone in Britain and, for the first time, on Atlantic in North America, and it's the sound of a stadium band pulling the curtains shut. Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion recorded it through 2013 in their own purpose-built studios in London and in Los Angeles, co-producing with Paul Epworth, Rik Simpson and Dan Green, with Jon Hopkins, Avicii, Timbaland and Madeon dropping in.

This is hushed and heartsore stuff: ghostly synths, soft pulses and Martin's voice pressed close to the mic, and several outlets reported him linking the album to his divorce from Gwyneth Paltrow. "Magic" led the way, followed by "Midnight", "A Sky Full of Stars", "True Love" and "Ink". Critics mostly welcomed the return to the band's melancholy early mood, though some found it samey, and it went on to a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.