Ed Sheeran is channeling waves of fear, depression and anxiety into his upcoming album, “-.”
Pronounced “Subtract,” the album is the last in a decade of his mathematically titled releases. It arrives May 5th.
In a statement about the impending album, the fifth of his career, Sheeran says he’d spent the past decade working on hundreds of songs for “the perfect acoustic album.”
But a series of emotionally trying events in early 2022 changed his plan, and “for the first time I’m not trying to craft an album people will like," he says. "I’m merely putting something out that’s honest and true to where I am in my adult life.”
Sheeran enlisted Aaron Dessner of The National as a co-writer and producer after meeting him through mutual friend Taylor Swift. Dessner produced Swift’s lauded acoustic-based releases, “Folklore” and “Evermore.”
The pair began work on “-“ in February 2022, and crafted more than 30 songs. Those that made the final cut include “Life Goes On,” “End of Youth,” “Curtains,” “No Strings” and “The Hills of Aberfeldy.”
