It seemed that Ed Sheeran ran out of mathematical symbols to name his albums. Instead, he has now moved on to audio adjustment symbols to describe his music. Regardless, Ed Sheeran’s previous offering, Autumn Variations (2023), wasn’t a great success for the main man, and he shortly released his +-=÷x (Tour Collection) compilation album afterwards in 2024. Seemingly, Ed Sheeran had lost some of the fire as an artist that he previously had. This album was released on 12 September 2025 and received generally mixed reviews from critics upon its release. It had five singles from it upon release as well, and hit #1 on the UK charts, once again. Regardless, this album poses the question: can Ed Sheeran still prove to the world of music that he has it? The album was produced by Ed Sheeran, Elvira Anderfjard, Louis Bell, Cirkut, Omer Fedi, Fred, Ilya, Savan Kotecha, Steve Mac, Johnny McDaid, Blake Slatkin and Andrew Watt. The album was released on Gingerbread Man Records via Atlantic and Warner Records. The album also features Punjabi and Persian languages on it, which is unusual for a Pop Music recording. The album itself runs for just over an hour. Let’s take a listen to this album, and we shall hear if Ed Sheeran can still make good music today.

1. Opening is a four-minute-long piece with Ed Sheeran singing about his own life over sweet acoustic guitar playing. This is much better than anything he has done in years. A superb opening tune, although hardly a sing-along piece, as Ed Sheeran sings rather selfishly about his life. Still, it is a very good listening experience. It has some rapping by Ed following, which is actually quite nice to hear. This sounds like a very nice and varied tune with some interesting beats, guitars and rapping from Ed Sheeran. A very nice and sweet song. This sets the scene for Ed doing his thing as a singer, songwriter and producer. He effortlessly makes Gen Z music that only some can relate to at this stage. Still, a really cool tune to listen to. Some nicely strummed acoustic guitar emerges towards the end, with some dreamy soundscapes to wrap it all up. Great stuff.

2. Sapphire is a fantastic-sounding piece of music from the get-go. Ed Sheeran sings beautifully on this song, with a very Coldplay-sounding tune that emerges. This isn’t particularly innovating throughout, but it sounds really smooth and sweet musically for what it is. Ed Sheeran puts his heart on his sleeve on this tune, and he shows why he is so popular with his easy listening music that tops the charts. With some extra sounds that are nicely layered and some Punjabi lyrics throughout, this is a solid tune that is beautiful, majestic and interesting. A good three-minute-long Pop song. The music sounds particularly wonderful at the end, concluding with a ton of good emotion. Neat.

3. Azizam is another single by Ed Sheeran. This is a catchy tune that sounds very uplifting. This is a sweet and romantic tune throughout, with some EDM textures and sounds that are unreal and surreal. A very good song to dance along to, although it is a rather nonsensical listen to hear. Ed himself sings a love for someone who isn’t his missus (a bit weird, don’t you think?) and makes a sub three-minute long tune that is solidly catchy and enjoyable overall. Something different from Ed Sheeran.

4. Old Phone begins with some clear and crisp Ed Sheeran vocals, alongside some nicely strummed acoustic guitar. He sings about finding an old phone in a box at home, and missing the old people that one has spent time with in the past. A sad and emotional tune that is really hard to click with, given the circumstances of the man himself. Weird. A catchy listen musically, but nothing truly worth memorising from this album. This isn’t easy listening, this particular song, and Ed Sheeran points out that his life is in tatters. The music to match it is good, even if this is not really comforting listening. “Nothing good will come from regretting…” is a good lyric line. This ends with some gorgeous singing and a sad reflection on life itself.

5. Symmetry begins with some weird vocals in another language, before Ed Sheeran launches into some nicely produced beats and singing throughout. He sounds like he is desperate to leave the life he has built up with Cherry Seaborn and find some other ladies to be with. Even so, this tune is absolutely good to hear. It may be trashy, but it is very enjoyable to listen to. A catchy and colourful, unique song that has some decent music and weird lyrics throughout. Good to listen to, this is the best album that Ed Sheeran has released in some time.

6. Camera begins with a set of Coldplay-esque electronics and enters into a very emotional and sweet song throughout. It sounds like his life is unsatisfying to him, and he sings about being with a lover powerfully. Ed Sheeran’s voice sounds really great on this song, and he reaches a different level of register with his singing than usual. This is a sweet song with power and emotion that sounds really cool. Ed himself should be proud of these songs. A genuinely sweet listen that has some deep and meaningful sounds to it all. Some neat slide guitar is present here as well. This is a great song, and this is the best Ed Sheeran album since his No 6. Collaborations Project back in 2019. Yes, you read correctly. Great to hear.

7. In Other Words is a piano based piece with some distorted acoustics to it all. Ed Sheeran sings about the simple things in life and his missus’s presence in his life as well. It sounds a bit ridiculous, he is singing about this as a Pop/Rock celebrity, as he has alluded to moving on from her in other parts of the album. No matter. This music is still sweet, assured and above all, great to listen to. This is not the absolute best album by Ed Sheeran, but it is the best thing he has delivered in many years. Seriously. This music is very humane and down-to-earth enough that one can easily listen to it and enjoy it immensely. Singing about the stars and the moon being unable to match a lady of one’s love, this is a gorgeous tune with a pretty string section thrown into it as well. A lovely listen. Fantastic stuff.

8. A Little More begins with some nicely cut up beats, keyboard and has singing by Ed Sheeran about a vicious ex-girlfriend who was extremely toxic and that Ed wishes to move on from. The sounds and production on this particular tune are an A Grade for 2025. It has some nicely rapped lyrics that are absolutely precise and powerful to listen to. Ed Sheeran sings about the said lady whom he hates more and more every day. A great listen, and it makes perfect sense to the listener with a particular ex-partner in mind. Fantastic to listen to, and very catchy with a hint of trumpet as well. Good tune.

9. Slowly begins with a count-in and has Ed Sheeran singing about being in love again. This is a sweet and devotional tune that is about being deeply and romantically in love with a lady. This is a fantastic and moving tune that has power, beauty and glory in it throughout it all. A seriously powerful and enjoyable tune, just like all the songs before it. Ed Sheeran articulates his emotions very well throughout. He may be working a music formula throughout, but he is doing the best he can to shed light into his life. Begging for his love to “kill me slowly” is a big statement. All in all, this ends with just Ed singing and acoustic guitar work. Good tune.

10. Don’t Look Down begins with some unusual wind instrumentation and electronic sounds, with Ed Sheeran singing about the end of love. This is a good tune to listen to, even though it is fairly clear by this point in his life, Ed himself is questioning everything in his life. It sounds like he is in a ton of self-pitying feelings and is about to divorce his wife. This has some Indian tabla drums and other textures throughout that sound really sweet. Ed himself does not seem overly happy on this album, and he uses his music to reflect that emotional sentiment. In any case, this tune is another solidly good listen by our man. One cannot help but feel a tad sorry for the guy, given all that he is going through right now. A good song, once again. The Indian styled harmonies are different.

11. The Vow is a song about being young and in love, and falling in love with one’s best friend. Ed Sheeran sings about some of his relationship experiences, this one being much more upbeat and pleasant on the topic of it all. A really upbeat and lively listen throughout, Ed Sheeran sings to some easygoing and textured music. The female backing vocals on this song are very nice, too. An honestly good song about making it through human struggles as a couple in one’s lifetime. Ed sounds very positive in this song, and he delivers another outstanding song to listen to. A seriously good listen, through and through. Worth it 100%. Ed Sheeran is back in the 2020s, and he makes lovable and relatable music for all.

12. For Always begins with some deep organ playing on a keyboard, and has Ed Sheeran singing more love songs for himself and Cherry Seaborn, his wife. Despite the rather one-tracked set of lyrical focus, this is again a really good song to listen to. This is a really nice listening experience that articulates the need to be with one’s love throughout. After all, Ed himself is human. A dynamic, interesting and solidly great tune to hear and to listen to. This music is absolutely valuable. The acoustic guitars, dreamy soundscapes and female backing vocals all sound really fantastic in the solo section, and Ed Sheeran sounds like a real champ overall. A really great song to listen to from start to finish. This music is simply gorgeously divine.

13. Heaven begins with some dual-tracked vocals, with a regular pitch and a higher-pitched vocal simultaneously singing to match it all. This eventually launches into a dynamic and smooth-sounding piece of songcraft with beats that end the main section of the album very, very well. Ed Sheeran sounds like he has some silver lining in the dark clouds of his life, and sets it all to music. A tremendous sounding tune, this sounds really very cool. It is difficult to hear great Pop Music albums in 2025, but Ed Sheeran has aced this here. A sweet and pleasant listen. This four-minute-long song makes sense to Ed Sheeran in particular, as he settles into his role as middle-aged music man. All in all, a really good tune to hear. The main section of the album finishes here, with dreamy textures and arrangements.

14. Problems begins with some unusual mandolin styled instrumentation, and has Ed Sheeran sounding at his most vicious yet. He sings about the issues that a relationship can bring, and he states the worst of the worst in the world of love. A really good listen, once again, even if it is on a particularly bitter subject. One can only imagine the press discussing whether or not Ed Sheeran will split from his family with songs such as this one. A good listen, although a rather upfront and disconcerting tune itself. Definitely rough.

15. War Game continues the previous tune’s theme with electronic drumbeats, organ and Ed Sheeran delivering an aggressive statement about the problems that seemingly he and Cherry are having. If one ever needs a glimpse into Ed Sheeran’s personal life, this is a good point for all that. A really upbeat, sweet and top tune, this is Ed in a world of distrust and insecurity with love. He doesn’t sound overly happy on this song, although he wants to make significant progress in his life regardless. A really dynamic tune to hear, although one can hear Ed has had enough. It ends with digitally modified vocals.

16. Regrets is a weird listen from the start. It has some horrid instrumentation, before beats and singing enter. Ed Sheeran sings about more problems that he has in his personal life. Sadly, he is not overly happy in his current life by the looks of it all and is seemingly yearning for something more desirable and better. A good listen, and Ed Sheeran at his rawest and most honest on these songs. Sure, he is not at his best anymore, but one can hear exactly why. The reason may be his seemingly miserable marriage. All the same, this music is powerful, interesting and gorgeous throughout. A good song, but it sounds like Ed needs some therapeutic help. Nonetheless, another good song to hear.

17. Freedom begins with some sweet and dynamic acoustic guitar with some electronics thrown in for good measure. Ed Sheeran sings beautifully on this song, as he delivers another lovely and sweet love song that is impressive and approachable. Ed sounds very powerful on this song, and he gives his love life his all. This is somewhat like an early album by The Beatles, with a variety of love songs and nothing else. Except that Ed Sheeran himself doesn’t do this as well. All the same, the music is very pretty, sweet and accomplished throughout. The music and sounds are very fresh indeed, and Ed sings from a strong and magical perspective. “Loving you is freedom,” indeed. A tremendously beautiful love song. Very sweet.

18. Sapphire (feat. Arijit Singh) is a redo of the song from earlier in this album. It is a gorgeously melodic redo of the song itself, with a Coldplay-esque flavour to it all. Ed Sheeran sounds really on fire on this tune, and the guest singer sounds very much like he is making a bit of a hit Bollywood record here. A really cool tune throughout, although admittedly, the original song is better. The production on this song is a bit too much. With Ed Sheeran rapping Punjabi, this is a weird listen throughout. It’s good, but Ed Sheeran has done better in the past than this. The album ends here.

This is a very strong and impressionistic music statement from Ed Sheeran. It is literally his best album in years since his No. 6 Collaborations Project release back in 2019. With such a long hiatus between consistent album efforts, this album deserves to be heard by many. Should you listen to this album? This is one of the best albums around at the time of writing, so if you love Pop/Rock Music, do give it a shot. Classic Rock fans may dislike this album, however.

The best by Ed Sheeran in many years.

9/10

Best tracks: Sapphire, Azizam.