Ed Sheeran<\/a> is entering his reflective era.<\/p>\n But while there is much contemplation of the past and how it has enlightened him, Sheeran\u2019s unrelenting drive coupled with a heart ready to burst with tenderness is tucked into nearly every note of his eighth album, \u201cPlay,\u201d out now.<\/p>\n The 13-track record is the first release in a new five-album cycle, starting after his mathematical series (“+” (2011), “x” (2014), “\u00f7” (2017), “=” (2021) and “-” (2023)). Sheeran said “Play” will be followed<\/a> by albums called \u201cPause,\u201d \u201cFast Forward,\u201d \u201cRewind\u201d and \u201cStop.\u201d<\/p>\n The last album in his mathematical series captured a definitively somber period in the singer-songwriter\u2019s life, including the death of his best friend and the cancer diagnosis of wife Cherry Seaborn (she said in his 2023 docuseries<\/a> she is cancer free).<\/p>\n Ed Sheeran adds dashes of world music to his usual pop sounds on “Play,” released Sept. 12, 2025.<\/p>\n Now, Sheeran, 34, is both defiant and ready to escape his period \u201cinside the darkest cage\u201d for a day that \u201cbursts wild and open\u201d as he sings on \u201cOpening,\u201d the tone-setting first song with a comically obvious title.<\/p>\n \u201cBeen a long time up top, but I ain\u2019t complacent\/If I look down I can see replacements,\u201d he raps on the same stylistically shifting track with the wariness of a guy who escalated from couch-surfing troubadour<\/a> to worldwide stadium-filling pop titan<\/a>. He hasn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n Fans of Sheeran\u2019s patented valentines \u2013 and wedding DJs looking to stock their \u201clots of feelings\u201d playlists \u2013 will relish the abundance of ballads. But Sheeran also dips into world beats, inspired by recording for a month in India.<\/p>\n The South-Asian percussion and sitar from Indian artist Arijit Singh combines for the rich sonic backdrop of \u201cSapphire,\u201d<\/a> while the first single from \u201cPlay,\u201d the chanting \u201cAzizam\u201d<\/a> (\u201cmy beloved\u201d) is rooted in Persian music.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not exactly Paul Simon\u2019s \u201cGraceland\u201d-level of musical edification, but credit Sheeran<\/a> for his willingness to explore.<\/p>\n More: <\/strong>Ed Sheeran reveals he’s moving to US: ‘I might be the only person’<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Ed Sheeran’s eighth studio album, “Play,” released Sept. 12 through\u00a0his Gingerbread Man Records<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Atlantic Records. Here are our favorite songs.<\/p>\n A sprightly acoustic guitar<\/a> 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. \u201cI feel an overwhelming sadness of all the friends I do not have left\/Seeing how my family has fractured\/growing up and moving on,\u201d he sings with plaintive resignation.<\/p>\n Sheeran possesses a gift for crafting cinematic ambiance as heard throughout the years on sweeping ballads \u201cThinking Out Loud,\u201d \u201cPhotograph\u201d and, most affecting, \u201cThe Joker and the Queen.\u201d<\/a> He taps into that gift here as both cheerleader (\u201cYou think that you don\u2019t have beauty in abundance but you do\u201d) and hopeless romantic (\u201cThere\u2019s something in the way you shine\/I don\u2019t need a camera when you\u2019re in my eyes\u201d). A touch of piano and pedal steel guitar bracket verses that swing upward to meet a chorus steeped in Sheeran\u2019s authentically raw vocals.<\/p>\n Ed Sheeran’s “Play” album offers 13 songs including the hit singles “Azizam” and “Sapphire.”<\/p>\n This open-hearted declaration of love, along with \u201cThe Vow,\u201d 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\u2019s 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, \u201cGive me how you laugh and how you hurt when you do\u201d with unabashed sincerity.<\/p>\n While Sheeran often plunges into sentimentality, he\u2019s 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 \u201cI wish you could look in the mirror \u2018cause if you did\/you\u2019d see the problem is you\u201d (before dropping a well-placed explicit descriptor) and \u201cWish I could say I wish you the best\/but I don\u2019t.\u201d Blunt and angry Sheeran might want to come out and play a little more often.<\/p>\n This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ed Sheeran comes to ‘Play’ with ballads and bite<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/div>\n
Ed Sheeran ‘Play’ album standout songs<\/h2>\n
\u2018Old Phone\u2019<\/h2>\n
\u2018Camera\u2019<\/h2>\n
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\u2018In Other Words\u2019<\/h2>\n
\u2018A Little More\u2019<\/h2>\n