Ed Sheeran Releases New Album "Play" with Five Singles
Ed Sheeran just dropped his new album, Play, and honestly, it’s the kind of news that makes scrolling through your feed on a Saturday actually feel like you’re part of a global fan moment. Yep, Play landed on September 12, 2025 right when the post-monsoon air starts to smell a little less dramatic and a little more like possibilities. Ed has this weird but lovable knack for timing: always showing up when pop music feels like it’s running out of steam, ready to plug a little joy back into the speakers.
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It’s Sheeran’s eighth studio album, which sounds a bit wild, because remembering when he was just “the guy with the loop pedal and ginger hair” in tiny cafes barely feels that long ago. Now, he’s got this kind of legendary energy. Play is the launchpad for a whole new series of albums named after media buttons Pause, Fast Forward, Rewind, and Stop are apparently already cooking. Ed joked in one interview that he made half of Play in India and half while “wishing someone would invent really good travel pants.” If that’s not relatable, I don’t know what is.
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Play is all about getting out of the “catharsis” zone of his last albums. He described Subtract as heavy like “the musical equivalent of eating a whole tub of ice cream after a breakup.” But Play? It’s about fun, color, and remembering the joy in random adventures. Five singles lead the way: Azizam, Old Phone, Sapphire, A Little More, and Camera. “Old Phone” practically begs listeners to dig up their ancient Nokia bricks, and “Camera” is pure nostalgia there’s even a music video with Phoebe Dynevor that somehow makes you want to call your first crush.
Not every review is glowing, but that’s kind of the point. Music like this is meant to spark memories songs that remind you how good peanut butter toast tastes at 2AM, or how silly dancing is the only correct way to listen to pop. Ed’s Play isn’t perfect or polished, but it’s got soul and plenty of heart. And let’s be real: If he tours with pink cowboy hats and open-top busses, we all lose our right to act cool anymore.
So here’s to joy, loop pedals, and imperfect adventure pop. Sometimes you just need an album that pulls you outside for a walk, phone in hand, smiling at nothing in particular.
