With syncopated wordplay and soft and simple chords, Ed Sheeran and his Subtract Wonderfully deliver the Theme of Grief and Fear of Loss.
The album contains a significant amount of Sheeran’s anguish and bewilderment. They began in February 2022, when Sheeran’s best friend, Jamal Edwards, passed away and his wife received a tumour diagnosis while she was expecting their second daughter. The latest album of Ed Sheeran is the continuation of the documentary series on Disney+ Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It All. Subtract, is his sixth studio album and final one with a mathematical title. He said in the docuseries, “Grief instantly ends your youth.”
After he gets freed from the copyright allegation of the 1973 hit by Marvin Gaye, the album was released against the backdrop of victorious circumstances. The song “Subtract” is inspired by an affection towards his best friend and his marriage’s sensitivity. The record, released on Friday, is also an outstanding musical representation of a person who allows himself to grieve till the time of drowning but lifts his head for the last breath of air.
One of the major creators of Taylor Swift’s albums “Folklore” and “Evermore,” Aaron Dessner of The National, contributed his best to Sheeran’s album “Subtract.” He co-wrote 9 out of 14 songs in the album with Sheeran. Even you can consider this to be his best contribution to any work recently. The songs in the album include,
‘Boat’
The opening track is about grief. As the album’s subject is grief. The song is the perfect one to introduce the theme of ‘Subtract’. Sheeran’s voice to the simple chords of the guitar makes the song touch the soul. Listeners feel what Sheeran tries to feel.
‘Eyes Closed’
The soft and insistent play of guitar and Sheeran’s syncopated wordplay defines the beauty of the song. He realizes the loss as he sings, “Every song reminds me you’re gone.”
‘End of Youth’
After self-realization of the death of Edwards and he quit on drugs and “tried to fill the void with wine.” Even he reflected in the docuseries about the fear that pain will never diminish, “is this the ending of our youth when the pain starts taking over?”
As the songs have released, now it is interesting to find out how audiences will react. (his North American tour starts on Saturday. This is perhaps the reason for Sheeran having added theatre shows at a few venues to protect the intimacy of his unvarnished lyrics.
Overall, beautifully written, minimalism highlighted in music and Sheeran’s subtle art of composition vividly reflected, the album ‘Subtract’ is worthy enough to play and feel outright.
[…] publicly announced on all social media platforms on 1 March 2023 that his fifth studio album, “-” (pronounced Subtract), publishinhg on 5 May 2023. On March 24, 2023, Sheeran released the […]