Whether you love them or hate them, there’s no denying that British soft rockers Coldplay are one of the biggest bands in the world. They’ve headlined every major festival we can think of, and they’ve sold millions of records. Whenever they do something, it’s considered to be a very big deal indeed. 

As big as they are, they've also been very quiet for a long time. It's been more than four years since they released their most recent album, 'A Head Full Of Dreams,' to mostly positive reviews. At the time of that album’s release, Chris Martin and the rest of his record-breaking band were coy on their next plans. They intimated that it might be several years before fans hear from them again. Some interviews suggested that they might never record again at all. It turns out that they did eventually decide to head back into the studio - and the fans were literally the first people to find out. 

As a group of performers, Coldplay has largely eschewed the media circus that goes with being a rock star. Most members of the public would be hard-pressed to name anyone other than lead singer and songwriter Chris Martin, and even Martin prefers to stay out of the limelight whenever he can. He's notoriously shy of interviews and keeps both himself and his family out of the glare of the spotlight when he doesn't have an album or a tour to promote. 

If this were any other legendary band announcing a new album, there would be full-page adverts taken out in magazines, and paid-for commercials on television. The majority of other big bands go where the money is. That's why Guns n' Roses are everywhere from video games to mobile slots. Even the Village People, who are remembered by most people as a novelty act, have their own official mobile slots game on website such as LateCasino.com. The idea of Coldplay turning up at a mobile slots casino as an attraction is laughable. They don't 'do' commercialism, and they've cut all semblance of commercialism out from their new album announcement. 

Instead of going to the press with their long-awaited news, Coldplay has gone straight to a handful of fans. On October 21st, a small number of Coldplay fans woke up to find that they'd received a gold envelope from the band. Inside that envelope, (badly) written with a typewriter, was a note signed by each member of Coldplay confirming that their new album would be released on November 22nd. It was such a low-key, unexpected way to make the announcement than some fans immediately assumed it was fake. There was nothing fake about it, though. The letters were genuine, and the announcement is real. Coldplay is back. 

Because the letters are so brief, very little is yet known about the content and sound of the album. We know that it will be called 'Everyday Life.' We've also had a hint about why it's taken them so long to come up with it; it's going to be a double album, with one side called 'Sunrise,' and the other called 'Sunset.' The way the letters have been signed off, which describes the album as being' sort of how we feel about things,' has prompted some speculation that it may contain social or political commentary. This is an area the band has stepped into before - for a long time, Martin used to take to the stage with the slogan 'Make Trade Fair' written on his hands. 

The idea that there may be some social commentary on the album is backed up by a series of bizarre posters which appeared in Spain the week before the letters were sent. In the black-and-white images, the members of Coldplay are dressed in the style of a wedding band from the 1920s, and are sat close to someone who bears a strong resemblance to Friedrich Nietzsche. The German philosopher was known for his somewhat gloomy and Nihilistic view of the world. 

Since the news has spread about the letters sent to their fans, the band have updated their official Instagram account with the same image seen on the Spanish posters, albeit with a date added. The date, somewhat curiously, is November 22nd, 1919. The band might be hinting at a concept album based on the music of the era - or it may be nothing more than a stylistic choice. Along with the date is a single note of orchestral music, which again may or may not be a teaser for the record’s musical style. 

Musician Mat Whitecross, who has collaborated with the band numerous times in the past, recently told the press that the content of the album, which will be Coldplay's eighth, is likely to surprise people. An alleged tracklisting for the album has been posted on an Italian Coldplay fan website and claims that there will be a collaboration with legendary French dance act Daft Punk, although the veracity of the list is thus far unsubstantiated.

Whenever a new album is released, a new tour is never far behind. Fans of the band can therefore probably expect a world tour for 2020 to be announced in the near future. It's also possible that Coldplay will once again be asked the headline the iconic Glastonbury Music Festival. They've had the honor of closing the festival on numerous occasions in the past, and are known to be a favorite of Michael Eavis, the festival's founder. If they're on tour next June - which seems likely given the date of the album's release - it will make good sense for them to appear on the event's famous Pyramid Stage yet again. 

If you’re a Coldplay fan - and we know that there are millions of you out there - the past four and a half years have probably been an unbearably long time to wait for any signs of life from your favorite artists. Your wait is almost now over - there’s less than a month to go until the album hits stores and the internet. It’s difficult to imagine that it won’t go directly to the top of the charts.