Sheeran’s new album “=” strays from musicality of previous albums

By Joylynn Lee

Arts Editor

Ed Sheeran’s new album, “=,” stays consistent with the titles of his previous albums by using symbols as album titles to express his unique music.

“=” lacks diversity throughout the album, since all the melodies in each song are similar and get mixed together. This makes the entire album blend in a negative, forgettable way.

“=” has attempted to branch from Sheeran’s 2017 “÷” album in hopes of becoming more modern, but fails to do so due to the fact that he’s well known for his acoustics and emotional tracks. By transitioning into modern pop music, Sheeran unfortunately ends up recreating his music in a way that leaves his audience disappointed. 

Sheeran is an English songwriter and singer and is internationally acknowledged for his original emotive pop songs. He rose to fame through playing his debut song, “A-Team,” on the show “Later,” starring Jools Holland. 

“=” is an album released by Asylum Records and Atlantic Records. Several of the 14 songs placed in the album were co-written by Johnny McDaid. Some songs in this album were previously released, like “Shivers,” which was released on Sept. 10, and “Bad Habits,” which was released on June 25.

Sheeran is known for producing music that touches his audience. Unfortunately, his new album doesn’t leave his audience wanting more due to its bland underlying messages. Though he is known for his gift for songwriting, the rhythm and music production in this album weren’t exciting enough to engage his audience and hold its attention.

There are some songs in his album that do stand out, like “Love in Slow Motion” and “Visiting Hours,” since they are the most similar to his previous, recognized songs. The acoustic rhythm is easy on the ears compared to the rest of his songs in the “=” album. “Love in Slow Motion” had a particularly steady rhythm that left listeners in awe. While it’s clear that Sheeran has shifted his overall music path, these two songs contain the iconic elements of his previous albums. 

“Stop the Rain” and “2step” are some of his songs that give off similar beats and rhythms. Sheeran has been evolving his music into more of a pop musical touch, but he fails to incorporate various beats in each of his songs like he has before. His original songs’ tones were unique from each other by changing the background beats. 

“First Times” is a fan favorite, and a track that can be listened to constantly due to his sharp, impressive vocal technique, and his pathway back to acoustic-based music by strumming his guitar while singing. It gives a close similarity to his earlier albums like “x,” but it is very disappointing that this was one of the few songs showing remote similarity to his emotive and iconic previous music. 

“=” maintains emotional lyrics even though his choice of musical tonality and rhythm has no distinct variation throughout the album. Sheeran’s new album had excited his fans upon the news of  its release but failed to maintain their excitement.

“=” was released on Oct. 29 and can be streamed through Spotify and Apple Music.