<\/p>\n
\n\tAre you ready to press Play<\/em>? As fall unofficially starts and the kids settle back into their school routines and studies, musicians from across the spectrum of genres have dropped new music this Friday (Sept. 12) to help soundtrack the new season and year in academics.<\/p>\n \n\tAmong them are four-time Grammy winner Ed Sheeran, who has released his eighth studio album, Play<\/em>. The 13-track release, which marks the start of a new project series after he wrapped the five-album Mathematics<\/em> collection, includes lead single \u201cAzizam\u201d (which debuted and peaked at No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100<\/a> in April) and \u201cOld Phone\u201d (No. 89). The album finds the musician exploring global sounds (as on the first single) as well as nostalgia (the aforementioned \u201cPhone\u201d as well as \u201cHeaven\u201d). <\/p>\n \n\t\u201cPlay<\/em>\u00a0was an album that was made as a direct response to the darkest period of my life,\u201d Sheeran explained on social media ahead of the album\u2019s release. \u201cComing out of all of that I just wanted to create joy and technicolour, and explore cultures in the countries I was touring. It\u2019s a real rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tLike Sheeran, Drake also finds himself going back in time, in a way. In his new track \u201cDog House\u201d featuring Yeat and Julia Wolf, the rapper not only rhymes about money, sex and power, but also references the chorus of his Hot 100 10-week No. 1 hit \u201cOne Dance\u201d in his verse: \u201cJust like Drizzy said, I just need one dance, baby.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe megastars of pop and hip-hop weren\u2019t the only ones to release new music this week. Alt-rock band Twenty One Pilots offered up new album Breach<\/em>, while Colombian-American artist Kali Uchis teamed up with Billboard<\/em>\u2018s 2025 R&B Rookie of the Year<\/a> Ravyn Lenae for \u201cCry About It!,\u201d while dance Star John Summit delivered emotional head-bopper \u201cCrystallized\u201d with In\u00e9z, and Little Mix\u2019s Jade Thirlwall offered up her debut solo album, That\u2019s Showbiz Baby!<\/em><\/p>\n \n\tWhich new music release this week is your favorite? Vote in our poll below!<\/p>\n