ED SHEERAN ANNOUNCES HIS SOUL-BEARING NEW ALBUM
‘–’ (SUBTRACT)
RELEASE DATE: 5th MAY 2023
‘–’ IS THE LAST IN THE ERA-DEFINING MATHEMATICS SERIES
Ed has this morning announced ‘-‘ (Subtract) – the last in his decade-spanning mathematical album era.
The album – which goes back to his singer-songwriter roots to reveal his most personal, vulnerable, and honest album to date – will be released 5th May 2023.
Ed announced the album with a deeply personal message. In his own words –
“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. 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.
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.
Within the space of a month, my pregnant wife got told she had a tumour, with no route to treatment until after the birth. My best friend Jamal, a brother to me, died suddenly and I found myself standing in court defending my integrity and career as a songwriter. I was spiralling through fear, depression and anxiety.
I felt like I was drowning, head below the surface, looking up but not being able to break through for air.
As an artist I didn’t feel like I could credibly put a body of work into the world that didn’t accurately represent where I am and how I need to express myself at this point in my life. This album is purely that. It’s opening the trapdoor into my soul. For the first time I’m not trying to craft an album people will like, I’m merely putting something out that’s honest and true to where I am in my adult life.
This is last February’s diary entry and my way of making sense of it. This is Subtract.”
Ed has teamed up with Aaron Dessner (The National) to write and produce the album – after the pair were introduced by mutual friend Taylor Swift.
Writing over 30 songs during their month-long studio stint, the album’s fourteen tracks are seamlessly tied together by exquisite production from paired back, folk-leaning textures to bolder, full-band/orchestral arrangements.
‘-‘ (Subtract) Tracklisting [Standard Album]
- Boat
- Salt Water
- Eyes Closed
- Life Goes On
- Dusty
- End Of Youth
- Colourblind
- Curtains
- Borderline
- Spark
- Vega
- Sycamore
- No Strings
- The Hills of Aberfeldy
There is also a Deluxe product with between 4-8 bonus tracks (varying with format)
Ed has also partnered with world-class creatives in photography, Annie Leibovitz, and film, Mia Barnes, to create a visual world around the album.
Ed & Mia Barnes have shot 14 stunning pieces of visual content, one for each track on the standard album.
The campaign photography has been shot by world-renowned photographer, Annie Leibovitz. See the first two images released today below, with more to come throughout the campaign.
