Coldplay Gives Away New Single, Announces Free Gigs

April 29, 2008

If you're a Coldplay fan, the first thing you heard this morning (outside of your roommate's snoring, anyway) was probably "Violet Hill," the band's latest single. The track – the first preview of Coldplay's Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends (out June 17) – was posted on the band's website as of 7:15 a.m. (EST) for free download, and will remain available until May 6 when the single gets its paid digital release.

We've got it streaming here.

Coinciding with the unveiling of "Violet Hill," the band has announced they'll be playing three free gigs in New York, London and Barcelona. Details about the shows are coming, but frontman Chris Martin shared a few thoughts about the upcoming NYC gig on BBC Radio 1 earlier today: "We're doing a concert in Madison Square Garden for free, which no one's ever done before because it costs, like, a million pounds to play there," he said. "We're paying for it because we want to be generous for a bit, before we're reminded that we have to get back to being on a record contract."

Previous reports have suggested that Coldplay's fourth album – which was produced by Markus Dravs (Arcade Fire) and the legendary Brian Eno – marks a dark and moody departure for the band.

While the other nine tracks on the disc remain to be heard, frontman Chris Martin has said in a statement that Coldplay made a dedicated effort to evolve their sound during the making of Viva La Vida and turned to artists as diverse as Radiohead, Jay-Z, Gershwin, Marvin Gaye and Rammstein for inspiration.

"The starting point for this album was listening to an amazing old Blur song called 'Sing (To Me)' while we were on the road with X&Y," Martin said of a track from the Brit-pop band’s debut disc. "I remember hearing it and thinking, 'OK, we need to get better as a band'. The first song for Coldplay's new album was written the very next day."

The track listing for Viva La Vida:

Life in Technicolour

Cemeteries of London

Lost!

42

Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love

Yes

Viva La Vida

Violet Hill

Strawberry Swing

Death and All His Friends