Crystal Aura Gaze

Ed Sheeran just released a new album titled “Play” — which he has been teasing since last spring. And now, it’s finally here!

Looking at his history, he released five albums with a “mathematics” theme in the title names, and then went on the Mathematics Tour. His first record ever was called Plus, followed by Multiply, Divide, Equals, and Subtract. (And in between that, there was also a collaboration project.)

That era concluded naming his albums after math symbols. He announced a new era of records, which would be named after playback symbols. It starts with Play, and he’s already revealed that we will be getting Rewind within the next 18 months. And he’s also planned a post-humus album called Eject. I’m guessing we will also get records titled Fast-Forward or Pause or Skip… something like that!

Most people don’t know that last Fall, he came out with a little album titled Autumn Variations. He referred to this as sort of a side project, a record that he wanted to do completely for himself, without any promotion. It was released under his own, new record label, Gingerbread Man Records. This is currently one of my favorites from him.

In contrast to the quiet release of Autumn Variations, “Play” has been heavily promoted for the past several months, with lots of interviews, music videos, impromptu performances at random pubs, and silly TikTok posts. And I love how much heart and soul he is putting into this, to bring his work to life.

With his last two albums, Autumn Variations and Subtract being more indie-acoustic, filled with sorrow and heartbreak, Play completely leans into dance-pop and positive energy. However, there’s still a few songs on this record that feel gut-punching and tear-jerking.

The coolest part of Play is that it’s inspired by Indian and Middle Eastern music. For “Azizam,” Ed worked with famous Persian producers in order to authentically capture their sound. And for “Sapphire,” Ed worked with the famous Indian singer, Arijit Singh.

My takeaway message from this album is — making the choice to be happy without the toxic positivity. This is truly enjoying the beautiful moments while also accepting the hard times.

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Opening

“Draw a line, for all of these ghosts.”

What an excellent opening to start off the album. It begins soft and acoustic, with hopeful lyrics about what the new day will bring, despite the hurt from the past. And then it morphs into a fast-paced flow. It becomes a total outpour of pent-up emotions and insecurities. This song is about drawing boundaries — between the past and the future, the pleasure and the pain, the trust and the betrayal. It’s about making more space for your loved ones by stepping away from those who can’t be trusted. You can let go of what’s behind you by moving forward with all of the lessons you learned.

Sapphire

“The lights, your face, your eyes, exploding like fireworks in the sky.”

Sapphire is inspired by Indian music, and Ed worked with Arijit Singh to make this beautiful masterpiece. What’s important about this is that Ed did not take another culture and attempt to claim it as his own. He explored other cultures in a respectful way, giving them credit, and learning from them instead of just taking. Also, the music video is shot in India and it really shows the beauty of this country and the people who are living there. I personally think that the music of India is so remarkable, I love the type of beats they use in their songs because they are so easy to dance to!

Azizam

“And if love’s just a game, then come and play“

The word “azizam” is a form of endearment, a Persian word that translates to something similar to “my dear.” Azizam is inspired by Persian music and culture. Ed worked with Persian producers and musicians to come up with this track. They also assured that the music video was full of authentic, Persian influence. I think that this song is so fun, uplifting, and invigorating. It just makes you want to dance!

Old Phone

“I kinda think that this was best left, there in the past, where it belongs”

“Old Phone” is a very simple song about nostalgia. The story comes from the time when Ed had to go to court for being accused of plagiarism (and he won the case), and the court made him hand over his phone so they could look through it for evidence purposes. But Ed stopped using his phone over ten years ago, he switched to just using an iPad for emails instead of texts and calls. And so, he had to pull out his old phone from a decade ago, bringing up many old memories. Nostalgia is such a bittersweet feeling, and this song truly captures it. Ultimately, the message is that it’s better to move forward, leave the past in the past. But it can be hard to forget.

Symmetry

“Kill control, let it play.”

This is another song with Indian influence. And it’s so good! It’s very spicy. I don’t have too much else to say. But it’s good!

Camera

“A photo, could not show, the way my heart is beating, babe.”

Such a powerfully heartfelt song. It captures those moments when the world stops, everything feels beautiful, and life is at peace. These are the moments that truly cannot be captured on film. And you can look back in time and still feel traces of ecstasy.

In Other Words

“in other words, give me all of you.”

This is just such a sweet love song. It’s almost completely acoustic piano, and I really want to learn how to play it. It just really paints the image of being in love with someone, all of their little flaws, everything about them.

A Little More

“Life got better when I lost you, but every day I hate you just a little more.”

Ed said in an interview that this song is about hating someone, but that there’s enough hate in the world, that he didn’t want to put this out there in a heavy or negative way. So, he made this song super silly and goofy. This song truly is about hating someone: who took advantage of you, has rage issues, and caused a lot of drama — but you used to love them. The music video is so unserious and ridiculous. We get to see the return of Ed’s lookalike, Rupert Grint, who first starred in the music video for Lego House way back in 2011! So, I feel like this song is the perfect way to express aggression in a calm and collected manner.

Slowly

“This is knife-in-the-heart love that we’ve fallen in. Kill me slowly, kill me slowly”

Here is another slow and acoustic song, this time on guitar. It’s a very sad song about missing someone when they’re gone.

Don’t Look Down

“Now we’re speeding to the ground. It’s almost over, don’t look down”

Really cool beat to this song. I feel like this is about a relationship or a situation ending, or on the brink of ending. I like the play of words that use the metaphor of moving across tall heights. Don’t look down because the worst is almost over. And it will feel better and more freeing to move forward.

The Vow

“And my vow to you is to love you and never let go”

This is clearly a wedding song! It’s a sweet love song about promising to be with someone through the ups and the downs, to stand by them no matter what.

For Always

“Whether I’m by your side, or a thousand miles away, I’m forever, I’m for always”

Another love song! I feel like this is him singing to his daughters, very fatherly or motherly love. He says, through the ups and downs in life, and the people who come and go, I will always be that constant for you.

Heaven

“I can see you now, though so much has changed, I’m falling in love all over again.”

Really interesting and captivating production, I really don’t even know how to describe it. This definitely has world influence to it.

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Bonus tracks

The bonus tracks are Problems, War Game, Regrets, Freedom, and a version of Sapphire with more Arijit Singh on vocals. I love all of these, they all have awesome beats, and you definitely hear more Indian and Middle Eastern sounds.

5/5 stars