Divide: The New Ed Sheeran Album
This is a music review post! If you’ve read my other posts you have probably gathered that music is a huge part of my life, and one of my favorite things about Nashville. Whether it’s going to concerts with friends, attending the many live music performances on campus, or just picking a playlist to blast in my headphones on the way to class, I couldn’t imagine my college life without music. And one of my favorite artists, Ed Sheeran, just released a new album! Following previous albums Plus and Multiply, he predictably called this one Divide.
After Sheeran took a year off and away from the media, this album was definitely worth the wait! It’s so clear in the sound of each song that he travelled and picked up new musical inspiration everywhere he went, all the while reflecting on his life, his relationships, and events of the past year. The released singles showcase the variety of the album well, with “Castle on the Hill” having a classic and epic Ed Sheeran vibe with a lot of guitar and romantic melody. His next single, “Shape of You” is a lot more pop and even has an electronic beat behind it-something very new for Sheeran but not surprising for him to be playing with. Lastly, “How Would You Feel” is, in my opinion, a little boring but sticks to the simple guitar paired with his voice.
Other standouts on the album are “Happier” where Sheeran writes of the ever-so-familiar feeling of seeing a past love happier with someone else, while you’re not quite there yet or haven’t found someone new yet. His ability to put feelings that we all share into words so eloquently and effectively is just impeccable. He keeps each song interesting, relatable and engaging. He is incredibly talented; according to my dad Sheeran may be the most talented artist of our time right now. And my dad has the best music taste I know (raised me on Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead to paint a picture). I felt personally complimented when he praised Sheeran, because he’s one of my favorites ever.
I’ve been listening to the album all break, watching his many performances online (like at the Grammy’s, on the Today Show, even listening to the Sirius XM Radio live show he recorded), but I already can’t wait to get back on campus and pick which songs I want to accompany me to class.
