The fifth and final entry in his series of albums titled with mathematical symbols, Ed Sheeran wrote and recorded its 14 tracks with Aaron Dessner, a member of US alt-rock band the National who also had a major creative role in Taylor Swift’s Folklore and Evermore. It will be released on 5 May.
It is billed as a return to traditional singer-songwriter performance, after the polished pop of much of Sheeran’s catalogue; a press release promises songs ranging from “pared back, folk-leaning textures to bolder, full-band/orchestral arrangements”. The Guardian
The British singer revealed in a note to fans that he’ll be releasing Subtract, an Aaron Dessner-produced acoustic album that will dive into his personal grief, hope, and how he’s dealt with “fear, depression, and anxiety” through the last year. The album arrives May 5 via Atlantic.
“I had been working on Subtract for a decade, trying to sculpt the perfect acoustic album, writing and recording hundreds of songs with a clear vision of what I thought it should be,” he wrote in the note. “Then at the start of 2022, a series of events changed my life, my mental health, and ultimately the way I viewed music and art.” Rolling Stone
“I had been working on ‘Subtract’ for a decade, trying to sculpt the perfect acoustic album, writing and recording hundreds of songs with a clear vision of what I thought it should be,” said Sheeran in a statement. “Then at the start of 2022, a series of events changed my life, my mental health, and ultimately the way I viewed music and art.”
Sheeran added, “Writing songs is my therapy. It helps me make sense of my feelings. I wrote without thought of what the songs would be, I just wrote whatever tumbled out. And in just over a week, I replaced a decade’s worth of work with my deepest darkest thoughts.”
The collection of songs Sheeran said came out of a number of personal struggles over the past several years. In the span of a month, Sheeran found out wife found had a tumor during her pregnancy and lost one of his closest friends. American Songwriter
Ed Sheeran: – (Subtract)
01. Boat
02. Salt Water
03. Eyes Closed
04. Life Goes On
05. Dusty
06. End Of Youth
07. Colourblind
08. Curtains
09. Borderline
10. Spark
11. Vega
12. Sycamore
13. No Strings
14. The Hills of Aberfeldy
CD Edition:
VINYL Edition:
Ed Sheeran’s tour dates:
23 MAR AO Arena Manchester, United Kingdom
24 MAR The O2 London, United Kingdom
25 MAR The O2 London, United Kingdom
28 MAR OVO Hydro Glasgow, United Kingdom
30 MAR 3arena Dublin, Ireland
02 APR Accor Arena Paris, France
06 MAY AT&T Stadium Arlington, TEXAS
13 MAY NRG Stadium Houston, TEXAS
20 MAY Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FLORIDA
27 MAY Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GEORGIA
03 JUN Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, PENNSYLVANIA
10 JUN MetLife Stadium East Rutherford, NEW JERSEY
11 JUN MetLife Stadium East Rutherford, NEW JERSEY
17 JUN Rogers Centre Toronto, ONTARIO
18 JUN Rogers Centre Toronto, ONTARIO
24 JUN FedExField Landover, MARYLAND
30 JUN Gillette Stadium Foxborough, MASSACHUSETTS
01 JUL Gillette Stadium Foxborough, MASSACHUSETTS
08 JUL Acrisure Stadium Pittsburgh, PENNSYLVANIA
15 JUL Ford Field Detroit, MICHIGAN
22 JUL Nissan Stadium Nashville, TENNESSEE
29 JUL Soldier Field Chicago, ILLINOIS
05 AUG GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium Kansas City, MISSOURI
12 AUG U.S. Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MINNESOTA
19 AUG Empower Field at Mile High Denver, COLORADO
26 AUG Lumen Field Seattle, WASHINGTON
02 SEP BC Place Vancouver, BRITISH COLUMBIA
09 SEP Allegiant Stadium Las Vegas, NEVADA
16 SEP Levi’s® Stadium Santa Clara, CALIFORNIA
23 SEP SoFi Stadium Inglewood, CALIFORNIA