Coldplay say they will stop releasing music after 12 albums: "The challenge is finite"

Coldplay have announced that they plan to stop releasing music after 12 albums. 

The band's latest LP, Music of the Spheres, was released last Friday and is their ninth studio album. Since their debut in 2000, the four-piece have an unbroken run of eight chart-topping studio albums and will be hoping to continue this tradition with Music of the Spheres, which is executive-produced by Max Martin. 

Speaking to NME, Chris Martin confirmed to the publication that new music is in the works - but it won't last forever. In fact, there's only three more albums to go.

"We’re going to make 12 albums," Martin said. "It’s a lot to pour everything into making them. I love it and it’s amazing, but it’s very intense too.

MORE: Coldplay's Official Charts history in full

"I feel like because I know that challenge is finite, making this music doesn’t feel difficult, it feels like, ‘This is what we’re supposed to be doing’.”

When asked if there might be some wiggle room for the band to change their mind, Martin confirmed that "I don't think that's what we'll do. I know that's what we're going to do in terms of studio albums."

Coldplay's latest single, My Universe featuring K-pop superstars BTS, recently became their 19th UK Top 10 single, so far achieving a peak of Number 3, with the most downloads of any track in a single week for the year so far.

Other collaborators on Music of the Spheres include British experimental producer Jacob Collier and American pop star Selena Gomez, whose album track Let Somebody Go could be in for a Top 20 debut on the Official Singles Chart this Friday.