Ubiquitous American DJ duo with ubiquitous English band…
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[5.33]
Iain Mew: Coldplay’s flexibility and way with pulling off their own Coldplay versions of the styles of others has long served them well — from Elbow to Arcade Fire through learning from Frank Ocean’s take on their own song. It’s therefore a good sign that this does a much better job of sounding like a Coldplay & The Chainsmokers song than “A Sky Full of Stars” did of sounding like a Coldplay & Avicii song. That’s not least because The Chainsmokers have carved out more of a distinctive territory. And since the drop from “Roses” is still the best thing they’ve done, why not all but recycle it? They get Chris Martin in his goofiest form in ages, riffing on Hercules the original superhero and going “do-do-do-do-do,” and, at a remove from the norm, he gets into character enough for the self-effacing chorus to bring out a more low-key charm than Coldplay have worked with in a long while. It works even better if you ignore the “she said” beforehand, like he does.
[8]
Ryo Miyauchi: As a Chainsmokers single, Chris Martin comes off a little too wholehearted to sit with those who came before. But as a Coldplay song? The enchanting moodiness is a welcome return to their classic sound, peaking with Jonny Buckland’s unspooling guitar riff. And Martin dreams bigger than the world with his childlike innocence — the best ingredient to a Coldplay single. Madeon’s magic was put to use to tend Martin’s broken heart. This might’ve been what it would’ve sounded like if it instead got to aid his dreams.
[7]
Micha Cavaseno: It’s odd, but for a moment Chris Martin doesn’t sound like his usual vagaries and instead sounds like Five for Fighting. Part of it is the superhero homages instantly reminding me of “Superman,” but also the deviation from a career that’s relied on captivation and ambiguity with specific uncertainty and faltering. That it’s subdued in the build to the Chainsmokers-style chorus makes perfect sense, with their burst of joy/sigh of relief dynamic definitely becoming a bit of a gimmick. That said, they’re using their gimmick to overextend their reach off beyond millennial territory, demonstrating that as cynical and petulant as The Chainsmokers started, they’re setting on acquiring maturity. Even if they don’t know how to get it themselves.
[5]
Crystal Leww: At some point, I think I wrote fanfiction pairing these two together, and I’m pleased to see that it not only exists now, but it sounds totally exactly on-point and great. Given The Chainsmokers open love of aughts-era emotional pop with guitars (blink-182, Dashboard Confessional), it only makes sense that they would pair themselves up with the cornballs that made “The Scientist.” “Something Just Like This” is peak for both of these groups, with Chris Martin singing about simply wanting someone to kiss with “doodoodoo”s and those huge, big drops. This is so good I am seriously wondering if The Chainsmokers will make another bad song.
[9]
Thomas Inskeep: I expected to, wanted to hate this right off the bat. Chainsmokers? They’re awful makers of lowest common denominator EDM-pop that’s become completely unavoidable. Coldplay? They’re the result if you took U2 and xeroxed them about 25 times; the world’s biggest “rock” band is also one of its most mediocre. Musically, this could be anything off the last Coldplay album or two, until you get to the chorus, which is all those Chainsmokers’ patented pneumatics. But here’s the thing: the lyrics got me. The lyrics about how the singer’s partner doesn’t want a superhero, but just “something I can turn to, somebody I can kiss.” I know it’s a little Hallmark card-ish, but it hits me right here, right now. And for that reason alone, I have to give this a
[9]
Mark Sinker: Wetblanket pop repeat-builds towards BOSH. It never quite gets there, keeps falling back a bit too far back — but the near-climaxes are excellent, even if the books of myths and legends has apparently filled the singer’s head with fake news regarding Achilles.
[7]
Hannah Jocelyn: *puts as much effort into this blurb as the Chainsmokers did with this song* I imagine that “Something Just Like ‘Roses’ Only With A Guitar Solo And With Chris Martin, Who Is Normally Much Better At This Pop Thing” was either too long or taken by Sufjan Stevens.
[4]
Alfred Soto: To want a bed of comfortable sawtooth synths on which to sleep as the “like this” makes sense for Chris Martin. On the prowl for a sound and context he realizes his big carb-laden voice deserves the anonymity of a generic electronic beat. For all I know how the Chainsmokers consider him Bryan Ferry.
[3]
Katherine St Asaph: Aww, how sweet, she’ll sleep with him even though he’s a loser because her standards end at “something I can kiss.” Have we witnessed the rare phenomenon of the female neg? Probably not, because like all pop and especially EDM-pop choruses this is designed to be heard in isolation, more missable the farther you get from the drop. What’s furthest from the drop? “She said.” Even as fully written, a girl telling a guy that she’ll kiss any old schlub without expecting anything from him is no insult to a dude but a fantasy, and the Chainsmokers provide its celebratory anthem. The doo-doo-doos and guitar wank weren’t there before Chris Martin, though, proving that it is possible to make anything worse.
[0]
Leonel Manzanares de la Rosa: Alright, so Coldplay is now officially indefensible.
[2]
Will Adams: I’m tempted to just copy-paste my fun-with-calculus! blurb for “All We Know” because, hey, if The Chainsmokers can do it, why can’t I? The chord progression is from “Closer,” the pumping drop, chord rhythm and all, is from “Roses,” and Coldplay’s syrupy contributions don’t quite make up for the lack of imagination here. I’d commend The Chainsmokers for having nailed the science of expertly timed releases — each single arriving right as the previous one’s radio luster begins to fade — but if they’re spinning their wheels this much this soon, what’s the point?
[4]
Scott Mildenhall: It’s a shame that this foray into dance music had to be done to such a limited “sonic palette”. Perhaps it finally solves the riddle of why The Chainsmokers are so keen on female vocalists: their noises sound crap with a man — at least one that sings. It’s interesting, though, taken as a male perspective, in that “Something Just Like This” is, lyrically, a flip on the likes of “Just The Way You Are”. Not in the sense that a woman is singing it, but that it has an imaginary one handily liberate the narrator from all and any limitations he may perceive he has. Gender regardless, that’s a nice thought for anyone, of course, and perhaps not least for the younger half of this collaboration. The drop, for want of a less ambitious description, sounds anaemic paired with Chris Martin’s attempts to soar in a way that someone like Avicii would have aided no end. It winds up sounding like someone’s homebrew remix, and not the work of one of the biggest singles acts of the moment.
[6]