Production was primarily handled by Bill Rahko, Dan Green, Michael Ilbert and Max Martin, with additional work by Jon Hopkins, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Oscar Holter and the Chainsmokers.
To promote Moon Music, Coldplay released the singles "Feelslikeimfallinginlove", "We Pray" and "All My Love", later complemented by a visual album called A Film for the Future.
[12] Coldplay spent two weeks at the office – between July and August 2024 – and used it as a "base of operations" while playing their shows in Rome, Düsseldorf and Helsinki.
[12] Asked about the meaning behind the title, Chris Martin stated "it has to do with accepting all the different phases [of life]" and "shining your light without any needs for anything in return".
[19] Coldplay's team contacted him directly to use the picture, and while he offered more options, the band ultimately maintained their initial choice.
[21] They were held between 1 and 7 October, including cities such as Auckland, Berlin, Beijing, London, Paris and Toronto, in addition to San Juan's Valle de la Luna.
[25] As part of FC Barcelona's sponsorship deal with Spotify, Coldplay launched a new team shirt design and had its proceeds directed toward UNHCR.
[29] Lead single "Feelslikeimfallinginlove" was released on 21 June 2024,[30] with its music video being shot at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens, Greece.
[40] In a four-star review for NME, Rhian Daily wrote it "gently and subtly distils that spirit of weathering any storm, going on a journey from that bleak opening moment to a more accepting, happier ending".
[46] She also commented both the lyrical and musical choices suggest an expression of resilience, since the "fake-outs don't just keep you guessing but mirror that feeling of having exhausted all your options, only for you to find the strength to push forward".
[46] Clash's Emma Harrison described Moon Music as "the band's most expansive and intriguing album to date", feeling "like the best friend who helps you through the dark hours".
[42] Jon Dolan from Rolling Stone praised its musical range and stated there "is only 10 songs, but it's a lot, and that's the idea — the pop-rock LP as social, psychological, and metaphysical cold-plunge".
[47] She criticised the lyrics for not exploring their sentiments with enough depth and the frequent use of sing-alongs, but "for every questionable choice, there's a 6-minute nu-jazz vamp or classical prog-pop opus waiting around the corner.
[47] Ben Beaumont-Thomas of The Guardian agreed with the sentiment, saying "Their 10th album has epic songs that make you feel like you've climbed Everest – but they're undermined by corny lyrics".
[65] In Germany,[66] Italy,[67] Sweden,[68] and the United States,[69] Moon Music became the band's first number-one album since Ghost Stories (2014).
[77] Spin's Jordan Bassett agreed, commenting that the band are boosting the demand for eco-friendly vinyls and helping to make them widely adopted.
[78] Music Week reported that the album was the best-selling CD of the year in the United Kingdom,[79] while the Official Charts Company informed it was the fastest-seller of the decade on the format.
[84] A deluxe edition with 10 extra tracks was released digitally through Coldplay's official store and streaming services on 6 October.