Ed Sheeran Reveals New Album Play Coming September 12
Ed Sheeran announced that his newest album, Play, will be released on September 12.
The album, released through Gingerbread Man Records and Atlantic Records, is Sheeran’s eighth studio album, his first since Autumn Variations in 2023.
Speculation of a new album began when the singer-songwriter released “Azizam” several weeks ago. Since then, he further fueled fan suspicion with @TeddysOldPhone on Instagram, where he shares photos from his old phone. To celebrate the announcement, he released his latest single, “Old Phone,” following the creation of the Instagram account.
“I wrote ‘Old Phone’ whilst in India finishing my album,” he stated. “It came by accident, because I was jet lagged and woke up at 2am. Everyone else was asleep, so I thought, ‘might as well write a song’ and this was the first idea in my notes.”
The “Thinking Out Loud” singer described how the various sounds and cultures of the world inspired this album.
“Play was an album that was made as a direct response to the darkest period of my life,” he stated. “Coming out of all of that I just wanted to create joy and technicolour, and explore cultures in the countries I was touring. I made this record all over the world, finished it in Goa, India, and had some of the most fun, explorative, creative days of my life.”
The album’s cover art illustrates a neon pink background with a play button and the word “Play” branded across the center. Underneath the title is an excerpt: “Play is leaving the past behind. Play is colourful. Play is dancing. Play is nostalgic. Play is mirror images. Play is capturing moments. Play is knee jerk reactions. Play is telling people you love them while you have the chance. Play is longing. Play is getting lost in the night. Play is everlasting. Play is youth. Play is a gift. Play is now.”
The album is available for pre-order here. See the full track list below.
- “Opening”
- “Sapphire”
- “Azizam”
- “Old Phone”
- “Symmetry”
- “Camera”
- “In Other Words”
- “A Little More”
- “Slowly”
- “Don’t Look Down”
- “The Vow”
- “For Always”
- “Heaven”
