In January and February, Ed Sheeran blessed us with little sneak peaks of the album he planned to drop in March. Three singles came out, and they were definitely a good indicator of how awesome the rest of his work was going to be. Shape of You became and instant hit, but the lesser known two, Castle on the Hill and How Would You Feel? are equally stunning and worthy to get stuck in your head.
With the whole album, Divide, out for almost two weeks now it's safe to say that Eddie has once again created magic. As if you really needed a reason to check out this long awaited album (three-years in the making), here are 6 really good ones to put it on your playlist.
1. He writes some a-dorable songs about his grandparent's love story.
We all went bonkers when J.T. did the same thing with Mirrors, but Ed goes above and beyond the cuteness with not one but two songs sharing the romance between grandma and grandpa Sheeran. Nancy Mulligan and Galloway Girl tell the story of the two meeting and finding love during the tumultuous period of World War Two in England and Ireland. If you don't think that hearing an old married couple's story as told by their grandson isn't just the cutest thing ever, you probably don't even have a heart.
2. He keeps his Ed Sheeran vibe going with more slow and sappy ballads.
Perfect might just perfectly describe the feeling of being in love. In this melt-worthy song, Ed pulls out his acoustic guitar and strums a beautiful melody with a rhythm and style that makes it feel like you're at a 1950s prom.How Would You Feel? and Hearts Don't Break Around Here are two more songs that you just can't help but have all the feels when you hear.
3. But, the whole album isn't slow, as his first one was.
Ed keeps up with the pop vibe he got into in his second album, Multiply. Many of the aforementioned songs have an upbeat tempo that gets toes tapping and hips swaying. What Do I Know? is a great anthem about positive thinking with a simple beat that really does help you feel good about yourself. If you've turned on the radio recently, Shape of You is obviously #1 for a reason; it's amazing.
4. ...But, the other slow songs on the album are still amazing.
In his typical fashion, Ed really knows how to evoke emotions with his words. Happier is a break-up song for the ages, speaking about the bittersweet moment when you realize your ex has finally moved on. Supermarket Flowers tributes former 1D member Louis Tomlinson's mother, who lost her battle to cancer in December of last year. (You might want to have a box of tissues for that one). Castle on the Hill gives us a sneak peak into little Eddie's life before he grew up and became famous, and is saturated in nostalgia. It's got an up-beat tempo so you're less inclined to feel sad, but it will make you remenisce on time gone by.
5. He speaks other languages.
Sure, his English accent drapes every word, but the effort given is gold star worthy. Barcelona is a care-free song about love and making the most of your time with someone. He sings Spanish that almost sounds like its from Google translate, but it's just so cute that you find yourself not caring (Maybe you wouldn't have cared either way, but for me, a Spanish major, it's a pretty big deal). Bibia Be Ye Ye uses a language from Ghana, and West African nation Ed visits frequently. This one is another positivity promoting song, and the words of the chorus are so much fun to sing even if you can't understand!
6. He had the world waiting three years for this album, so you really just need to check it out.
It sounds super lame, but after three years of silence from him, aren't you just a little bit curious to see what it sounds like?
