The next album in Ed Sheeran’s “mathematical” series is coming our way this spring, and it’s his most personal record to date. The British hitmaker teased his fifth studio album Subtract on social media and explained how it was written against “a backdrop of grief and hope”.
Sheeran teased Subtract (styled as “-”) in a lengthy social media post, where he described the harrowing journey of working on this record. He chronicled a series of events that changed his life, mental health, and the way he viewed music and art, including his wife’s tumor diagnosis during her pregnancy with their first child, which couldn’t have been treated before she gave birth.
Sheeran revealed he was “spiraling through fear, depression and anxiety” and he wanted his music to reflect how he was feeling during this time, without worrying if people will like it.
“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,” wrote Sheeran.
Subtract will be released on May 5, and it’s expected to serve as the last entry in Sheeran’s “mathematical” series. The full tracklist of the standard edition will include 14 songs, but the singer recorded several more tracks for the deluxe CD and vinyl editions.
