BY TER STAFF
Ed Sheeran announced his brand new album social media earlier today. The forthcoming LP, called “-” or “Subtract”, will be released on May 5th by Atlantic Records. This album will mark the end of his mathematical album era, which began with “+”, followed by “x”, “÷”, and “=”. Sheeran shared that he had been working on “Subtract” for a decade, trying to create the perfect acoustic album, and had written and recorded hundreds of songs with a clear vision in mind.
However, a series of events in 2022 changed his life, mental health, and perspective on music and art. He described how writing songs is his therapy, and that he wrote without any thought of what the songs would be, simply allowing his deepest and darkest thoughts to tumble out. Within a week, he had replaced a decade’s worth of work with these new songs.
During this time, his pregnant wife was diagnosed with a tumor, his best friend passed away suddenly, and he found himself defending his career as a songwriter in court. Sheeran felt like he was spiraling through fear, depression, and anxiety and wanted to create something that accurately represented where he was in his adult life.
For this album, he teamed up with The National’s Aaron Dessner and they wrote over 30 songs during a month-long studio session. The resulting 14-track album is set to feature folk-leaning qualities as well as full-band and orchestral arrangements, and is a deeply personal and honest representation of where Sheeran is in his life right now.
Check out the full tracklist for Subtract below.
‘-‘ (Subtract) Tracklist
- Boat
- Salt Water
- Eyes Closed
- Life Goes On
- Dusty
- End Of Youth
- Colourblind
- Curtains
- Borderline
- Spark
- Vega
- Sycamore
- No Strings
- The Hills of Aberfeldy
The Early Registration 