Following his year-long hiatus from social media and the music industry, Ed Sheeran, the fiery-haired and sharp-witted Brit, has made a grand return to it all. December 13, 2015 was his last day of social media until he posted a blue screen on the 13th of December and a selfie on Snapchat a few days later. A few unconfirmed leaks were made roughly six months ago, but it wasn’t until midnight Friday morning that Sheeran himself posted the long awaited album to follow the immensely successful Multiply. Multiply led to a whirlwind of a world tour, with Sheeran performing nearly every other night. At the end of this “era,” he took a long break and has burst back onto the scene with not one but two tracks. Sheerios everywhere are crazed with excitement over the return of their favorite musician and his music. The lyric videos on youtube allow true fans to memorize every single line accurately and sing along all day. (Not that I’d know!)
The first track, entitled “Shape of You,” has a very electronic start. Unlike many of his other songs, this track is very bouncy as opposed to his usual rhythmic acoustic feel. Some comments on the video compare it to Sia’s style, which isn’t inaccurate. The lead in describes how he plans to pick up girls at a bar, not the club. Falling into the chorus of the song, Sheeran meets a girl and begins a relationship. Each chorus follows the progressing relationship in a relatable way, accompanied by a danceable beat. Toward the end he breaks it down, just to bring it back up and layer different sections of his song to create a beautiful mix of the themes, an Ed signature. This track may be a bit of a break from the songs many of us come to expect from Ed, but the Ed we’ve all come to love is still deeply entrenched in this music. The clever lyrics, like “Your love was handmade for somebody like me,” are also reminiscent of “Thinking Out Loud.” Sheeran is clearly in love, as the song talks about the push and pull of great relationships. He’s clearly attracted to this girl, and many Sheerios are waiting to see who the subject of the song is.
The second track, “Castle On The Hill,” is much more like the previous songs Sheeran has released. With a very nostalgic mood, this tune is also one that will have you dancing across the kitchen floor. (Again, not like I’d know anything about that!) It starts when he is 6 years old, similar to “7 Years” by Lukas Graham. The free ringing electric guitar opens the song, setting the mood for his childhood and his longing. Sheeran takes the listener through his crazy back road driving and his love life. He remembers his first kiss, joking that he probably didn’t do it right. This longing for his past and nostalgia for everything he once was is mixed with his typical sarcastic humor that he didn’t know much of anything. But, he isn’t regretful. He wouldn’t change his past for anything. Many fans in the comments are talking about the memories they have while listening to this song. College students are reminded of their drives home for breaks as they look forward to seeing their families. The pop feel is a bit offputting to some, but for the most part people can’t wait to jam in their cars to this song. By the end of the tune, Sheeran brings the mood down by dropping all of the other instruments down to a single guitar. As he builds it up, he brings the song back to present day and talks about all the awful things that are a part of growing up. But, by returning to the chorus he implies that despite all that, the memories he has are untainted. He makes listeners excited to go home and revisit all of their own memories.
Ed Sheeran released these two tracks on Friday to give fans an idea of the vast differences between songs on the album. It is a bit “schizophrenic” according to Sheeran in an interview with BBC Radio 1. He’s worked with a folk group and the writers for Rihanna to create music for this album. Two folk-style songs have even made it on the album. He says his most memorable experience of writing for this album was in Ghana, with Fuse at his house. Apparently, when they write, they party the entire time. In the same interview, he reminisces on his essential break from fame. In Queensland, he went skydiving despite his fear of heights. The artist is ready to jump in headfirst again with his crazy performance and writing schedule. I know all of his fans, both past and present, are ready for this new wave of Sheeran Music. While other people may not like that he has shifted a bit toward pop, I love everything that he’s done with this new music. The small reinvention is a cool twist on his old style. First Plus, then Multiply– Her Campus American can’t wait to see what Divide will bring.