BREAKING: Gingerbread wizard and guitar-hugger Ed Sheeran has emerged from the depths of his ginger soul with a new album and it’s called Play. Yes, Play! Like what your Spotify will be doing on repeat starting September 12, because this thing is packed with bops, ballads, and possibly the emotional equivalent of a shot of tequila followed by a hug from your grandma.
And guess what? The first single, “Old Phone”, just dropped today (May 1), and it’s already making people cry, smile, and call their ex from a Nokia 3310.
Now, before you imagine Ed curled up in a blanket with a sad guitar strumming tunes about sad bread, Play is actually a full-on serotonin explosion. According to Ed, this whole album was born after the “darkest period” of his life. Which, to be fair, might’ve been the time he realized he couldn’t find his left sock before a stadium show.
But fear not! Post-darkness Ed turned into Technicolor Travel Dad, recording all over the world and finishing the album in Goa, India—which is possibly the most spiritually healing location for a man who’s seen more hotel rooms than you’ve had hot dinners.
Ed says Play is “a rollercoaster of emotions.” Which basically means you’ll be crying, dancing, texting your mom, and considering a spontaneous trip to a mountain retreat — all in one sitting. It’s “everything I love about music,” he says. And let’s be honest, if anyone knows music, it’s the man who made “Shape of You” get stuck in everyone’s head until 2043.
Oh, and he’s not just releasing music. No, no. Ed’s going full chaos-mode:
“We’re building pubs for folk jams, doing gigs on open-top buses, and singing in pink cowboy hats on bars.”
I mean, name a more iconic midlife crisis. I’ll wait.
He adds, “The older I get, the more I just want to enjoy things.” Translation: Expect Ed Sheeran’s next tour to feel like a combination of Glastonbury, a craft beer festival, and your weird cousin’s wedding.
Anyway, preorders for Play are live now, and according to Ed, there’s *“many, many more playful things to come.”* I don’t know what that means, but I’m 89% sure it involves a kazoo.
🎵 PLAY Tracklist:
1. Opening (a dramatic door creaks open… probably)
2. Sapphire (shiny feelings)
3. Azizam (translation: “my dear,” or “my tear duct’s new best friend”)
4. Old Phone (probably features the sound of actual dial-up)
5. Symmetry (emotions but make them symmetrical)
6. Camera (say cheese and cry)
7. In Other Words (Frank Sinatra is shaking)
8. A Little More (than you were emotionally prepared for)
9. Slowly (probably NOT a fast one)
10. Don’t Look Down (heights and heartbreak, maybe?)
11. The Vow (cue wedding flashbacks)
12. For Always (tissues sold separately)
13. Heaven (aka track 13 because he knows you love a dramatic finish)
Ed Sheeran’s Play is coming, and it’s here to hug your soul, make you dance weirdly in the kitchen, and cry into a burrito.
So go listen to “Old Phone,” preorder the album, and maybe buy a pink cowboy hat. You’ll need it.