Ed Sheeran | Instagram
Since 2011, Ed Sheeran has been non-stop in releasing major hits within each album release, including ‘The A Team’, ‘Don’t’, ‘Shape of You’, and ‘Shivers’. The infamous math-related albums stood apart from other artists, such as '+', 'x', '÷', and '=' but Ed's completing the symbolic discography with the release of '-', said to release on May 5th, 2023. The album houses intricate and raw tracks unlike his previous albums while also being is an acoustic-based piece of work. The past few years within his life has been anything but magical, from personal pain, legal battles, medical issues, and death, the culmination of therapeutic tracks is a window into Ed’s life.
In his recent Instagram post he detailed the storyline and themes of this upcoming album by saying “As an artist I didn’t feel like I could credibly put a body of work into the work that didn’t accurately represent where I am and how I need to express myself at this point in my life. This album is purely that. It’s opening the trapdoor to my soul. For the first time, I’m merely putting something out that’s honest and true to where I am in my adult life.” The album initially took a decade to curate and just last year did Ed experience struggles and feel the surge of desire to spill his heart out for us and create a masterpiece that mixed perfectly with his therapeutic need to just tell.
These songs dive us right into his life detailing some of the most horrific experiences into one 14 track acoustic album. The personable release will do so much more than top charts and sell out stadiums on his upcoming tour, he’s opening up the conversation for others to discuss their struggles and connect on a deeper level.
Ed Sheeran | USA Today | Annie Leibovitz
The upcoming tracks for the album:
Eyes Closed
Spark
No Strings
Boat
Vega
Curtains
Life Goes On
The Hills of Aberfeldy
End of Youth
Borderline
Sycamore
Dusty
Colourblind
Salt Water
The first song on the album; ‘Eyes Closed’ was released on March 24 and fans showed immense adoration for how deep & personal the track was. The simplicity within the beat, elimination of multiple instruments, and the beauty of the lyrics, its evocation of emotions brought us to tears. The single’s release was shortly followed by the music video, which encapsulates perfectly the mixture of feelings when sadness is weighing heavy. The representation of the constantly present, daunting yet comforting aspect of these negative emotions was captured beautifully in the visuals and fans are excited to hear more from the album.
Just yesterday, Ed took to social media to discuss another single, ‘Boat’ and gave us a sneak preview into what’s to come with this intimate song. The song’s meaning is just as beautiful as ‘Eyes Closed’ where he details the feeling of being at rock bottom and not knowing if you can come ashore from it but the desire and tenacity to overcome this being far more powerful. Within his new segment on social media, ‘Subtract Sundays’, he’s posting some of the upcoming EPs to give us a mini show and preparing us for May 5th.
The courage it took and still takes him to represent vulnerability within his music and for millions of fans to see doesn’t go unnoticed and all while using his platform to open up about personal struggles. His efforts have and continue to make a large impact on those who have struggled with mental health and provide them with both a safe space and community.
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