Coldplay’s long-awaited third studio album, “X&Y,” will be issued June 6 internationally and the following day in the United States, Parlophone/EMI said today (March 11). First single “Speed of Sound” will be serviced to radio in April and arrives May 23 at retail.
“X&Y” was recorded over the past year, with production by Danton Supple (Morrissey, Elbow), Ken Nelson (Badly Drawn Boy, Kings of Convenience) and members of the band.
“We wanted to try new things out, to move our sound along,” Coldplay guitarist Jonny Buckland says, “but the focus remains on the songs, and Chris [Martin’s] voice is sounding amazing. Everyone is playing at the top of their game.”
The delayed album release will be supported by the band’s biggest-ever world tour, starting June 15 at Volks Park in Hamburg, Germany. The European leg of the tour then moves to open-air venues in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Austria and Italy.
“These dates are just the tip of the iceberg,” Mike Allen, EMI VP of international, tells Billboard.biz. “It’s simply the beginning of a world tour which runs 2005-06, so there’s an awful lot more to come.”
Coldplay is also booked to headline the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival on April 30 in Indio, Calif., and will play a rare club show the night before in Las Vegas. The band’s complete U.S. and international itinerary is expected to be unveiled in the coming weeks.
The group’s two albums have sold more than 16 million copies worldwide, according to EMI. The London-based major warned last month that the new set would be delayed from its initial planned pre-April release, an announcement that contributed to a tumble for the company’s stock.
