Coldplay Launches Lyric Treasure Hunt for Ghost Stories Album

British rock band Coldplay has launched an international treasure hunt ahead of the release of Ghost Stories, urging fans to search through ghost story books in libraries where they’ve hidden lyric sheets from their new songs.

There are nine lyrics sheets in total — to match the nine tracks on Ghost Stories — and two have already been found. The lyric sheet for “Magic” was found in a copy of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in a library in Mexico City, while the lyric sheet for “Always in my Head” was found in Clive Barker’s Mister B. Gone in a library in Helsinki.

Seven more lyric sheets remain. Alongside one of those sheets is a “golden ticket,” which includes a flight to see the band perform at London’s Royal Albert Hall this summer.

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, who recently announced his split from wife Gwyneth Paltrow, has said that his relationship’s demise influenced the album. “I think everyone in their life goes through challenges, whether it’s love or money, kids, or illness,” Martin told BBC Radio 1 during an interview on Monday. “You have to really not run away from that stuff.”

The singer also shouldered the blame for the pair’s “conscious uncoupling,” saying, “About two years ago I was a mess, really, because I can’t enjoy the things that we are good at and I can’t enjoy the great things around me because I’m burdened by this … I’ve got to not blame anyone else and make some changes.”

Ghost Stories is out May 16.

[Guardian]