New releases revive returning pop artists to the music scene

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Continuing her pop legacy, Adele returns to the mic for her next milestone album.

Capri Scarcelli & Emma Polen | a&e editor & layout editor

Oct. 21, 2021

October has been a month of turbulence for many. However, it’s brought a ton of new music, with various artists releasing on the same day. 

After six years since her last released song, Adele still has the same pipes.

The British pop singer’s new single, “Easy On Me,” gained steady momentum among fans, released on music platforms Oct. 15. Her Youtube video already has 77 million views — four days after release. 

Adele first posted publicly on her Instagram about a possible new album on her 31st birthday – May 5, 2019. After a long message about the changes that happened in her lifetime since her last studio album release, she wrote, “30 will be a drum n bass record to spite you.”

It has been rumored that the new release and upcoming album were inspired by Adele’s recent divorce and raising of her child. With this new sense of growth, fans can expect a heartful, mature sound to her upcoming works. 

Though this post was two years ago, fans took it as a sign that an album would be arriving soon. However, the pandemic delayed the album’s production. 

“Easy On Me,” has already hit radio stations and restaurant playlists and is accompanied with a music video; at less than one week old, the video is already at 83 million views. 

According to The New York Times, the rest of Adele’s newest album will reach platforms on Nov. 19, as she has announced on social media. 

She wrote, “No matter how long we’re here for, life is constant and complicated at times.” 

With this in mind, “30” has the potential to capture the same energy as Adele’s past albums while bringing a new dimension of her growth as a person and as a producer. 

Check out the music video and lyrical analysis of “Easy on Me:” https://www.bustle.com/entertainment.

Also returning from a long hiatus is British rock band Coldplay. With their last studio album Everyday Life (2019), the band announced they would not tour until they found an eco-friendly means of travel and performance. Now entering the Music of the Spheres era, this Oct. 15 release was not only a breakthrough for the artists’ return, but also for their announcement to tour once more.

According to BBC, the concerts will be powered by “kinetic flooring –” meaning, when fans move, it keeps the concert’s electricity running. Simultaneously, the band will be on electric bikes to help power the stage as well. 

To help outside of their performances, each Coldplay ticket purchase will plant one tree per ticket. 

This album, according to Coldplay, is a moving instrumental piece that mostly reflects the movements of the universe, with cute little emojis titling most of the songs. The hit single off of the new release, “My Universe,” featured K-Pop idol group BTS, bringing together audiences from all over to celebrate Coldplay’s evolving, atmospheric sound. 

Tickets for the Music of the Spheres tour are available for purchase now. 

Also released on Oct. 15 was an artful, “from the vault” experience: Mac Miller’s SoundCloud archive, Faces. His second posthumous album released under McCormick Family Trust, Faces gives fans 25 new songs that show Miller’s vulnerability from his early career as an upcoming artist. Knowing his potential and seeing his growth, Pittsburgh-native fans can rejoice with a piece of his work to keep his memory alive. 

Originally purposed as a mixtape, the album was released independently in 2014 to follow his second studio album, Watching Movies with the Sound Off (2013). Continuing his pattern of dark lyricism, Miller wrote this mixtape with a twist of jazz and psychedelic root, opposing the lines like a paradox. Many fans are excited to hear his old sound with the truthful emotion behind it.

Faces is available for streaming on all platforms.