Ed Sheeran is entering his reflective era.
But while there is much contemplation of the past and how it has enlightened him, Sheeran’s unrelenting drive coupled with a heart ready to burst with tenderness is tucked into nearly every note of his eighth album, “Play,” out now.
The 13-track record is the first release in a new five-album cycle, starting after his mathematical series (“+” (2011), “x” (2014), “÷” (2017), “=” (2021) and “-” (2023)). Sheeran said “Play” will be followed by albums called “Pause,” “Fast Forward,” “Rewind” and “Stop.”
The last album in his mathematical series captured a definitively somber period in the singer-songwriter’s life, including the death of his best friend and the cancer diagnosis of wife Cherry Seaborn (she said in his 2023 docuseries she is cancer free).
Ed Sheeran adds dashes of world music to his usual pop sounds on “Play,” released Sept. 12, 2025.
Now, Sheeran, 34, is both defiant and ready to escape his period “inside the darkest cage” for a day that “bursts wild and open” as he sings on “Opening,” the tone-setting first song with a comically obvious title.
“Been a long time up top, but I ain’t complacent/If I look down I can see replacements,” he raps on the same stylistically shifting track with the wariness of a guy who escalated from couch-surfing troubadour to worldwide stadium-filling pop titan. He hasn’t lost his easy grin, ruffled ginger hair or ability to connect with unpretentious songwriting, but Sheeran is also well-aware of internet-bred candidates coveting his throne.
Fans of Sheeran’s patented valentines – and wedding DJs looking to stock their “lots of feelings” playlists – will relish the abundance of ballads. But Sheeran also dips into world beats, inspired by recording for a month in India.
The South-Asian percussion and sitar from Indian artist Arijit Singh combines for the rich sonic backdrop of “Sapphire,” while the first single from “Play,” the chanting “Azizam” (“my beloved”) is rooted in Persian music.
It’s not exactly Paul Simon’s “Graceland”-level of musical edification, but credit Sheeran for his willingness to explore.
More: Ed Sheeran reveals he’s moving to US: ‘I might be the only person’
Ed Sheeran ‘Play’ album standout songs
Ed Sheeran’s eighth studio album, “Play,” released Sept. 12 through his Gingerbread Man Records and Atlantic Records. Here are our favorite songs.
‘Old Phone’
A sprightly acoustic guitar and shuffling snare drum shade this rumination on revisiting the past via text messages, photos and memories. Nostalgia, as Sheeran learns, sometimes reopens wounds and invites emotional gut punches previously buried for self-protection. “I feel an overwhelming sadness of all the friends I do not have left/Seeing how my family has fractured/growing up and moving on,” he sings with plaintive resignation.
‘Camera’
Sheeran possesses a gift for crafting cinematic ambiance as heard throughout the years on sweeping ballads “Thinking Out Loud,” “Photograph” and, most affecting, “The Joker and the Queen.” He taps into that gift here as both cheerleader (“You think that you don’t have beauty in abundance but you do”) and hopeless romantic (“There’s something in the way you shine/I don’t need a camera when you’re in my eyes”). A touch of piano and pedal steel guitar bracket verses that swing upward to meet a chorus steeped in Sheeran’s authentically raw vocals.
Ed Sheeran’s “Play” album offers 13 songs including the hit singles “Azizam” and “Sapphire.”
‘In Other Words’
This open-hearted declaration of love, along with “The Vow,” might as well be titled “Ed Gift Wraps Your First Dance Song.” But within the romantic tropes, Sheeran expresses feelings beyond falling in love with someone’s eyes and smile, instead embracing flaws (clothes strewn about the house) and habits (checking the door locks before bedtime). His is an all-encompassing love as he yearns to be an emotional caretaker, singing, “Give me how you laugh and how you hurt when you do” with unabashed sincerity.
‘A Little More’
While Sheeran often plunges into sentimentality, he’s also capable of some world class snark. The jaunty groove and whimsical horn bleats obscure a lyrical acid bath as Sheeran swings through lines including “I wish you could look in the mirror ‘cause if you did/you’d see the problem is you” (before dropping a well-placed explicit descriptor) and “Wish I could say I wish you the best/but I don’t.” Blunt and angry Sheeran might want to come out and play a little more often.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ed Sheeran comes to ‘Play’ with ballads and bite
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source ca.news.yahoo.com ’
