#she's singing a house in nebraska and sun bleached flies here

[pondslime]

mother mothering on mother’s day 💐💖

[neos-schlond-poofa]

Resident Lover x Ethel Cain I

Which song fits each RL Character the best, and why? Only featuring songs from Preacher's Daughter; any other Ethel Cain albums and EPs will be in another post if I feel like it. And also, you don't need to know any Ethel Cain lore to get this post.

BELA DIMITRESCU: Sun Bleached Flies

Listening to the choir, so heartfelt, all singing God loves you, but not enough to save you

A song about one making peace with their fate; not so fitting for Bela, is it? The one love interest who never stops fighting for MC?

But what if the she's accepted that her fate is fight for MC. Her fate is to always be there for them, even when the universe tries to tear them apart, even when everything is utterly terrible. And all throughout the song, it is clear that what Ethel wants is just her lover back, just as Bela hopes to have a wonderful life with MC without the fear of Miranda ruining it all.

I'm still praying for that house in Nebraska By the highway, out on the edge of town

CASSANDRA DIMITRESCU: Gibson Girl

You wanna love me right now You wanna get alone with me

Arguably the hardest character to assign a song to, Cassandra is the Gibson Girl not due to the specific lyrical nature of the song, but the interpretation others have from it when listening to it without knowing its full story.

Those who don't know the story of Preacher's Daughter just believe this is a song about being hot and sexy and getting around. Just as some believe that is all there is to Cassandra. But truthfully, Gibson Girl is a dark song hidden behind the sound, with so much more to be read into than just "this song makes me feel so good." And like the song, there is so much more to Cass than just her looks and her relationships... she's her own character going through her own things who doesn't just want these small flings, she wants a relationship, she wants someone to love her.

Then I would show you something You can never have

DANIELA DIMITRESCU: Strangers

I tried to be good Am I no good?

The forgotten sister who just wants to the best version of herself as she can. The one who wants to please everyone even when she doesn't know how to. The one who has so much expectations put onto her.

This song, similar to Cassandra's, is a bit of a stretch, but I'm not basing it directly off the story, am I? Dani is Strangers as even in her darkest moments, she cares for others, even the ones who haven't been the best to her or the ones she has complex relationships with. It's as simple as that.

Found you just to tell you that I made it real far And that I never blamed you for loving me the way that you did

ALCINA DIMITRESCU: Televangelism

You see, this is hard, because there are no lyrics, so it really messes up the layout. However, I don't need lyrics for this. This song is all about Ethel's journey to the afterlife and her acceptance of such. And for Alcina, is appears she has just accepted her life to being one of Miranda's tools for getting MC back. She barely fights for herself or her daughters unless the player pushes for it.

ANGIE BENEVIENTO: American Teenager

Head full of whiskey but I always deliver Jesus, if you're listening let me handle my liquor

I promise I didn't just pick this song because of its mentions of alcohol. But Angie, out of all the members of the cast, is the most similar to American Teenager, even if she isn't American. Angie wants to have fun, she lives an idealized life where she parties every day and has little to worry about. Out of all the songs on the album, this is the happiest sounding one, but just like Angie, there are somber undertones to it.

Angie's life really isn't ideal. She's a doll. She can't go anywhere far or she will basically die in a weird, non-permanent way. Her life isn't all that great, and neither is the place that she lives in. Just as Ethel grew up with an amazing view of the world, only to realize it's not great and had been glamorized.

It's just not my year But I'm all good out here

DONNA BENEVIENTO: House in Nebraska

We had nothing except each other You were my whole world

A torch song. Fitting for Donna, who has gone through multiple timelines where her love is unrequited after a previous one where she experienced the happiest moments of her life.

At the core of this song is truly a sense of longing. Ethel misses her lover who left her before the events of the album. Time has passed, yet she can not accept that he is gone. As for Donna, years could have passed since her time with yet MC, yet she still loves them. She almost always remembers what they had and what they didn't. The pain both of them went through, but the love they still had for each other afterwards. The nights they had in the flower shop and the mornings they had waking each other up with kisses. And yet, it's gone. And Donna will never truly have that back due to the loop. She will never have her love. The person that helped her with her mental health and allowed for her to become an even braver person than she ever would've been before.

She's alone without MC. She has Angie, of course, but that's her niece. As for the Dimitrescu sisters, she isn't that close to them as she is with Angie, and Bela, with whom Donna has the closest relationship with out of them, will forever lose her trust in Donna. Alcina and Miranda aren't that great figures in her life either; MC was her light, and it was taken away from her. She understands she doesn't own MC, but she still wants them. She loves them so much and hates the thought of them being gone. But ultimately, she has to accept that there is no happy ending with MC.

But God, I just hope you're doing fine out there I just pray that you're all right

MOTHER MIRANDA: Ptolemaea

Heard you, saw you, felt you, gave you Need you, love you, love you, love you

Miranda is not a good person. In this case, she is not Ethel in the song. Ethel can easily be viewed as any other character in the game. Instead, Miranda is the haunting voice of Ethel's murderer. And while Miranda does not murder everyone in the game, she does ruin their lives for her own sake.

Miranda is the figure that harms everyone else. She manipulates them and makes sure none of them gets their happy ending with MC. She owns MC and she loves the idea of having a relationship with MC. Miranda has done so many terrible things just to have MC, who will truly never be in a happy relationship with Miranda. MC had no choice in what would happen to them, they have no choice in being in a relationship with Miranda, as even though they "choose" Miranda in her route, that is only after countless resets by Miranda to get MC for herself.

Run then, child You can't hide from me forever

MIA WINTERS: August Underground

Another song that ruins the layout. Mia might seem a bit of an odd choice to be included, but she is just as important as the other characters. However, that doesn't mean I have a good reasoning for her being this song. It's just an ominous, creepy song that matches up with Mia being crazy.

MC: Thoroughfare

And you said, "Hey, do you wanna see the west with me? 'Cause love's out there and I can't leave it be"

A long song dedicated to Ethel falling love with her ultimately doomed lover. What could be more fitting for MC? After all, to be loved by MC is to be doomed by the narrative. And that includes for MC.

MC will have the most passionate romances imaginable, but they mean nothing. They will always be taken away from them or end terribly, such as being murdered by their lover or watching them just leave for someone else. MC never even intends to fall in love, just as Ethel didn't mean to fall in love here, but they both did. And it seemed so amazing for the both of them. Just a wonderful moment of bliss that didn't last long.

'Cause in your pickup truck with all of your dumb luck Is the only place I think I'd ever wanna be

[soisaidfine]

Ethel Cain: my dream for shows in the future is i just play very chill shows at theaters and stuff where people can sit down in seats and i can play with a nice piano

I'm reblogging creatospirito's post from Reddit here in the context of the cancellation of Ethel Cain's concert at Primavera Sound Porto, as she lost her voice.

Reddit: "Would you go to an Ethel Cain concert with only piano and instruments, without any singing? The question didn't arise for Porto, as she was not only without a voice but also sick and needed to rest. But if one day she found herself without a voice but in good health, should she cancel the concerts or perform instrumental versions?"

Ethel Cain on Tumblr:

Apr 14 - sunandthebucks asked: would you ever perform televangelism live?

mothercain answered: maybe one day!! my dream for shows in the future is i just play very chill shows at theaters and stuff where people can sit down in seats and i can play with a nice piano and focus on performing instead of running around the stage and whatnot. i saw susanne sundfor do a show like that in 2017 and it changed the way i think about live music.

Aug 8, 2023 - ghost-town-heart asked: Will you do more Televangelism type pieces? No lyrics just vibes

mothercain answered: if i could build a career off making music entirely like televangelism i would do it

Video: Ethel Cain, piano - Sun Bleached Flies (Live on KEXP) Full Performance on YouTube

. . .

[rotisseries]

rori I’m curious what are your top three ethel cain songs and why?

ok so first off I usually don't have anything beyond vibes as a reason for picking favorites of anything but here we go:

no.1 strangers. so it's partially the cannibalism thing I think, I just really love that this is a song about cannibalism like I've got a morbid fascination with cannibalism stories and I think it started when I read a book about the donner party at age 12 but yeah. cannibalism<3. but then also the repeated asking of "I tried to be good am I no good am I no good am I no good?" and "I just wanted to be yours can I be yours can I be yours can I be yours?" like. UGHHHHH. SHE'S BEING DEVOURED BY HER LOVER AND THE ONLY THING SHE'S CONCERNED ABOUT IS IF SHE'S BEEN GOOD? AND THEN TALKING TO HER MOTHER AT THE END? "found you just to tell you that I made it real far, and that I never blamed you for loving me the way you did. while you were torn apart, I would still wait with you there." "don't think about it too hard or you'll never sleep a wink at night again, don't worry about me and these green eyes, mama just know that I love you, and I'll see you when you get here" UGHSHAHGHSHDHSS. AND THE WAY IT FEELS LIKE SUCH A CHILDISH THING TOO IN A WAY? LIKE SHE'S BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH AND AT THE END ALL SHE'S CONCERNED WITH IS IF SHE WAS GOOD FOR HER FORMER LOVER, AND THAT HER MOTHER DOESN'T WORRY. OH GOD. it's also such a pretty song too but that goes for a lot of ethel's songs so if I was picking based on that we'd be here all day

no.2 house in nebraska. I just LOVE the way she sings this one it's everything to me, and idk the despair in it is everything to me all I know is that this one ends up on repeat a LOT. it is GREAT for dramatically screaming along to I love this one

no.3 hard times, this one is so godawfully sad to me omg. I hear it and it's like an instant iceberg for my mental titanic. ughhhhh "I'm tired of you, still tied to me" UGHHHHH

honorable mentions go to: american teenager, fighting for a spot in top three just bc it's an ABSOLUTE bop about the disillusionment of the american dream, inbred, ALSO fighting for podium placement, for being SUCH a Gross™ song (affectionate). oh it's sososososo gross. "sucking on the back of his leg to stay warm" girlie WHAT? sun bleached flies for "god loves you, but not enough to save you" and televangelism for being the prettiest track on the preacher's daughter album and also for making me cry even though it's just an instrumental interlude

[tameila]

May Week Two-Week Four Albums.

 May 9th: New Again, Taking Back Sunday

familiarity: we are now entering the territory of TBS albums that I have not heard yet

favorite(s) before listen: N/A

favorite(s) after listen: New Again, Summer, Man;  Swing, Where My Mouth Is, Cut Me Up Jenny, Capital M-E, Carpathia, Everything Must Go

May 10th: Taking Back Sunday, Taking Back Sunday

familiarity: happy birthday to me! we’re breaking into the self-titled album today.

favorite(s) before listen: N/A

favorite(s) after listen: Faith (When I Let You Down), Sad Savior, Since You’re Gone

May 11th: Happiness Is, Taking Back Sunday

familiarity: Funnily enough, when I was studying abroad in Ireland back in 2014, I checked in on TBS and - instead of checking out all the albums in between this one and the last one i remembered - i jumped straight to this one. don’t regret it! this album feels like a slight turn from their older stuff, but it was a direction i really enjoyed and it reminds me of long, evening walks around the University of Limerick’s campus.

favorite(s) before/after listen: Flicker, Fade; Stood a Chance, Beat Up Car, It Takes More, Better Homes and Gardens, Like You Do, Nothing At All

standout lyric: the bridge and outro of “Flicker, Fade” is [chef’s kiss]

May 12th: Tidal Wave, Taking Back Sunday

favorite(s) before listen: N/A

favorite(s) after listen: Homecoming, I Felt It Too, Call Come Running, I’ll Find A Way To Make It What You Want

May 13th: Dance Fever, Florence + The Machine

familiarity: [bangs on pots and pans] new Florence album!! NEW FLORENCE ALBUM!!!

favorite(s) before listen: N/A

favorite(s) after listen: King, Free**, Choreomania, Girls Against God, Dream Girl Evil, Cassandra, Heaven is Here, Daffodil, My Love

standout lyric: the bridge of Free, my friends. that’s what it feels like to be a creator of any media of art. that’s just the meaning of life right there.

May 14th: Monsters, The Midnight

familiarity: discovered The Midnight through Julien Solomita. he uses their song “Good in Red” a lot on his streams, and I would highly suggest their Horror Show EP. it’s an album for driving at dusk with the windows down. figured, since I enjoyed it so much, might as well check out an album!

favorite(s) before listen: N/A

favorite(s) after listen: ((gonna be honest with you. i am filling each of these days out right now and i usually like the songs that i like the most on spotify so that i remember but i don’t have any liked on this album. but i remember enjoying this album so i think i just thought the whole album was a vibe overall. maybe, someday, if i have an extra hour, i’ll relisten and update this with specific songs but...until then...I’ll just give it a thumbs up!))

May 15th: Preacher’s Daughter, Ethel Cain

familiarity: No familiarity with the artist but I ran into a tiktok on my fyp that included a snippet from the scream in Ptolemaea and I was like,”Sign me up!”

favorite(s) before listen: N/A

favorite(s) after listen: American Teenager, A House in Nebraska, Family Tree, Thoroughfare, Ptolemaea, Televangelism, Sun Bleached Flies, Strangers

standout lyric: "What I wouldn't give to be in Church this Sunday / Listening to the choir, so heartfelt, all singing / God loves you, but not enough to save you / So, baby girl, good luck taking care of yourself”

May 16th: Back of My Mind, H.E.R.

familiarity: I am going to see my favorite boys, Coldplay, on the 28th, so we are officially entering the preparation stretch of the month. H.E.R is one of Coldplay’s openers. Also, should be noted, I will be skipping the song on this album that features a certain abuser.

favorite(s) before listen: N/A

favorite(s) after listen: We Made It, Damage, I Can Have It All, Slide

notes: Since I am getting to these write-ups so late, to the point that the concert has come and gone, I can say that H.E.R was amazing on stage. This album was pure R&B, which I enjoyed, but she was up on stage, shredding on the electric guitar and playing the drums and just rocking out. Loved that style from her!

May 17th: FANDOM, Waterparks

familiarity: had an extra day in my concert preparation to slip in a random album. I know Waterparks from their song “I Miss Having Sex But At Least I Don’t Wanna Die Anymore”, a Scanlan Shorthalt anthem, but felt compelled to check out the rest of this album after hearing another song on a playlist. also, i gotta be real here. didn’t realize that this album came out in 2019. it has the vibe of the mid-00s emo/punk scene.

favorite(s) before listen: I Miss Having Sex But At Least I Don’t Wanna Die Anymore

favorite(s) after listen: I Miss Having Sex But At Least I Don’t Wanna Die Anymore, Watch What Happens Next, High Definition, Telephone, Turbulent, [Reboot]

May 18th: Gallows (Deluxe), DRAMA

familiarity: another one of Coldplay’s openers.

favorite(s) before listen: N/A

favorite(s) after listen: Barely Friends, Falling, Missing

May 19th: Parachutes, Coldplay

familiarity: ah, and here it begins, the album where my love for Coldplay began. I used to “steal” the CDs for this album and A Rush of Blood To The Head from my dad’s car and listen to them on our 5-CD boombox in the basement. I listened to “We Never Change” with all the wistful melancholy that a prepubescent child can possess.

favorite(s): Since I love Coldplay and they are My Boys™, I feel entitled to wax at length about my feelings on each album. because I have opinions. That being said, there are only two Coldplay albums that I consider to be true “No Skips” albums and Parachutes is very close...but not one of them. I would still highly recommend it to be listened to from start to finish. There’s no true “duds” on this album, just a couple songs that take some warming up to. While Yellow is, of course, a classic, I would pick a live version of it over the album recording any day. my personal favorite picks from this album are...Don’t Panic (one of their best and my favorite from this album), Shiver, Trouble, We Never Change, Everything’s Not Lost

standout lyric: "Oh, all that I know / There's nothing here to run from / ‘Cause yeah, everybody here's / Got somebody to lean on”

May 20th: Harry’s House, Harry Styles

familiarity: Taking a break from Coldplay to check out the new Harry Styles album

favorite(s) before listen: As It Was

favorite(s) after listen: As It Was, Music For a Sushi Restaurant, Late Night Talking, Little Freak, Matilda, Day Dreaming, Keep Driving, Satellite

standout lyric: not a lyric, but the outro to As It Was where, after the bridge, he brings in wedding bells...that shit changed me fundamentally

May 21st: A Rush of Blood to the Head, Coldplay

familiarity: remember when I said that I only have two Coldplay albums that I consider to be perfect? This is number #1 out of the 2.

favorite(s): There’s not a single song on this album that I would ever dare to skip. This album should be enjoyed front-to-back often and with reverence. Not only are these songs all amazing on the album recording, but this album is best known for having the most songs that are staples to Coldplay live performances to the point that I was disappointed when songs like In My Place and God Put a Smile upon Your Face were not included on the setlist for their current tour. That’s the problem with having a 20+ year discography. You can play a 2-hour long show and still not be able to fit in all your best hits. In particular, those two aforementioned songs MUST be enjoyed alongside their live versions. God Put a Smile upon Your Face, especially. I love this album so much that I even struggle to pick a favorite. I long dream of them embracing this sound again but, at the same time, you could never replicate this album..Just...You Gotta Listen To This Album. That is my platform. That is my truth.

standout moment: I think I’m gonna hand my honorable mention to the bridge of Politik. life-changing bridge. Also, See You Soon, a song from this era that was never officially released but has a live recording is one of my absolute underrated Coldplay songs. Highly recommend.

May 22nd: X&Y, Coldplay

familiarity: notoriously the most hated Coldplay album by Coldplayers. if someone names this album as their favorite, it’s one of the most surefire ways to out yourself as not really listening to Coldplay. that being said, this album holds a lot of sentimental value to me and, as such, I think quite a few songs that I love like Low and The Hardest Part would be scoffed at by more reasonable fans.

favorite(s): My favorite from this album is Swallowed in the Sea. It’s attached to be a very specific and personal childhood memory for me, and I am very protective of it. I think we all have a song like that. Which is to say, seeing it crop up on Fjorester playlists all throughout CR2? Drove me mad. How dare you reduce it to a simple love song when it means so much more than that!! Other notable mentions from this album are X&Y (listen, and listen close, the lyric is “YOU become my best friend” not “SHE become my best friend”. Coldplay uses gender neutral pronouns more often than not which is why they are beloved among the queer community, you fools!!) and A Message.

standout moment: When the bridge hits in A Message and Chris’ adds on, with absolute devastation and heartbreak, “And I love you, please come home” to the chorus lyrics. yeah. We should talk about it more.

May 23rd: Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends, Coldplay

familiarity: and here we have it -- the second perfect Coldplay album. I may be biased because this is the era where I saw them in concert for the first time and when I actually felt like I was a part of the Coldplayer community, but I think every song from this era -- Prospekt’s March and all the B-sides -- are worthy of praise as well. though I could take or leave most of the “remixes”. After X&Y, this album was a huge comeback for Coldplay. X&Y almost tore them apart, and every inch of this album is built on togetherness and love between four best friends who chose each other and the music they loved to make. Like A Rush of Blood to the Head, it has such a unique and distinct sound to it that, as much as I’d love to see it, I know that it’s not replicable.

favorite(s): My favorite from this album is 42, but my underrated favorite is Yes. Do the people know? Do they know that Yes is one of Coldplay’s sexiest and most sensual songs? Do they know? Also, the best version of Viva la Vida can be found on their live album, LeftRightLeftRightLeft, only now available on Spotify as of this year.

standout lyric: My standout lyric is actually gonna go to “Gravity, release me and don't ever hold me down / Now my feet won't touch the ground” from Life in Technicolor ii from the Proskept’s March EP. I can’t explain it; it’s just always meant a lot to me.

May 24th Mylo Xyloto, Coldplay

familiarity: Coldplay’s official entrance into the pop genre, and -- Damn, they did it with style. It was also the introduction the Xylo bands at concerts -- now a Coldplay staple. This is another album that has a lot of sentimental value to me. The first single, “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall”, came out the day of my high school graduation and it was also the day that we had to put down our childhood cat, Annie. The full album was released on the day that we had to put down our childhood dog, Ellie. It was an album that was there for me during a year where it felt like I was having to say goodbye to my whole childhood. This album also saw a huge boom in the Coldplay fandom on tumblr. It’s since died down, but those were fun days.

favorite(s): My favorite song from this album is Charlie Brown. You know when you’re at a concert and suddenly everything seems to slow as you look around at the thousands of people who are there with you? Confetti rains down around you. Every nerve in your body is buzzing. You are elated and bright-eyed. and every single person is experiencing the same moment as you. all of you, together. and you are just hit with a wave of total adoration and affection for every single one of them? Yeah, Chris Martin captured that feeling with the last 35 seconds of Charlie Brown in 2011, and I have never emotionally recovered. Honorable mentions go to Every Teardrop is a Waterfall, Hurts like Heaven, and Up With The Birds. Major Minus is also majorly underrated.

standout moment: when the instrumental shifts in Up With The Birds, and Chris sings “Might have to go, where they don't know my name / Float all over the world just to see her again”....yeah...i cry every time....

May 25th Ghost Stories, Coldplay

familiarity: ah, the divorce era. I honestly don’t have a lot to say about Ghost Stories. I see it as the yin to Mylo Xyloto’s yang. It was an intimate era -- quiet and subtle -- compared to the big, loud explosions of color that were the trademarks of MX. and, I think a lot of Coldplayers view it in the same way. It’s not an album for discussion and Opinions. it’s just an album for listening and nodding understandably.

favorite(s): My favorite song from this album is Oceans. When I went to see Coldplay live in 2016, our show got rained out, but they went out with a bang by playing A Sky Full of Stars. The energy in the stadium that night was and remains unmatched. To this day, 3 minutes and 3 seconds of ASFoS hits and I tear up....I just...love Coldplay so much...

standout lyric: “You’ve got to find yourself alone in this world” are the lyrics for the one and only tattoo that I am dead-set on getting one day

May 26th A Head Full of Dreams, Coldplay

familiarity: another notoriously hated album by Coldplay fans. which is a fact that I’m glad I found out much later because this album carried me through the worst years of my life. Coldplay really said “When you’re in pain, when you think you’ve had enough / Don’t ever give up” and I sobbed on the interstate, driving 70 mph, because I knew they were right.

favorite(s): Up&Up has my heart. It’s what hope sounds like to me. A Head Full of Dreams deserves to be used in some kind of cyperpunk/sci-fi media -- 1:50 and onwards? Perfect sci-fi ambience. I am in space. We are the universe and the universe is us. Birds is beloved amongst Coldplay fans, and for good reason. I also have a soft spot for Adventure of a Lifetime. It should also be noted that Everglow is only valid when it’s played live; the album recording is meh.

standout lyric: Gotta give it up to “When you’re in pain, when you think you’ve had enough / Don’t ever give up”

May 27th Everyday Life, Coldplay

familiarity: After the more pop-rooted sounds of the previous three albums, this album was a return to their more alternative sound -- with a lemon wedge of pop. In a lot of ways, this album listens to me like the culmination of all their previous eras. There’s elements of Parachutes, elements of A Rush of Blood to the Head, elements of It’s also the first album where Chris Martin let himself say ‘fuck’; we were all very happy for them.

favorite(s): My favorite song is Champion of the World. Honorable mention to Arabesque. The sax solo goes on just a little too long, but it’s otherwise perfect. I love any Coldplay song where they go a bit harder, dig a bit deeper with their sound, and Arabesque is definitely one of those songs. You also can’t go wrong with Sunrise, Trouble in Town, Orphans, Èkó, Everyday Life, and Old Friends.

standout lyric: when Chris sings “I guess we’ll be raised on our own then” in Orphans

May 28th Music of the Spheres, Coldplay

familiarity: It’s the day of the concert, and we have reached the most recent Coldplay album! This album is very hit-and-miss for me. Songs like Colortura and People of the Pride are easily two of the best amongst their entire discography, but they’re stuck on an album that feels very sparse and mid-tier. Out of all the albums that they’ve released before now, this one has felt the most incomplete and poorly executed. Coldplay always puts on a great show, but this album was truly saved by the graces of its best songs. 

favorite(s): The moment Coldplay dropped that minute-or-so long trailer video for Music of the Spheres and I heard that snippet of People of the Pride, I was in love. The moment I heard People of the Pride on the album, I knew I needed to hear it live. The moment I heard it live, I lost my goddamn mind. People of the Pride is easily one of the best Coldplay songs, and it makes saying this album isn’t that great so hard lol. If Coldplay would just release an album that’s full of songs like God Put a Smile upon Your Face and People of the Pride, they would be unstoppable, and I believe this whole-heartedly in my heart and soul. Colortura is also a masterpiece. It’s over 10 minutes long, and it should be. When the music box instrumental starts at 5:34, I ascend to a higher plane of being. I was so disappointed that they took it off the setlist of the tour, but also I would have been sobbing in that stadium if they’d kept it. Honorable mention to Infinity Sign for immortalizing the “Olé Olé Coldplay” chant, which is the best Coldplay chant, and to Humankind. Biutyful won me over eventually, mostly because it comes right after People of the Pride and I listened to People of the Pride so much, but it’s mostly saved by Chris’ solo vocals at 2:12.

standout lyric: “We’re only human / But we’re capable of kindness / So they call us Humankind”. Also, the last 30 seconds of My Universe are the best part. I love when it just sounds like they’ve having fun.