As he gears up for the release of his fifth studio album “Subtract” later this spring, Ed Sheeran has announced details of the records lead single, “Eyes Closed” which is scheduled to drop Friday, March 24th 2023.
Posting a short preview of the track on TikTok, Sheeran can be seen sitting at his piano, playing the instrument with one hand before delivering a heartfelt rendition of the songs chorus.
“So I’m dancing with my eyes closed / ‘Cause everywhere I look I still see you” a clearly emotional Sheeran sings with conviction before concluding “Time is moving so slow / And I don’t know what else that I can do / So I keep dancing with my eyes closed.”
Watch the short clip below:
Written against a backdrop of personal grief and hope, and marking the final chapter in his mathematical-themed album title era, “Subtract” will see Sheeran revisit his singer/songwriter roots and lyrically address some of the personal challenges he has faced in recent years.
Of the new record, Ed says in a press release: “I had been working on Subtract for a decade, trying to sculpt the perfect acoustic album, writing and recording hundreds of songs with a clear vision of what I thought it should be. Then at the start of 2022, a series of events changed my life, my mental health, and ultimately the way I viewed music and art.”
“Writing songs is my therapy. It helps me make sense of my feelings. I wrote without thought of what the songs would be, I just wrote whatever tumbled out. And in just over a week, I replaced a decade’s worth of work with my deepest darkest thoughts. Within the space of a month, my pregnant wife got told she had a tumour, with no route to treatment until after the birth. My best friend Jamal, a brother to me, died suddenly and I found myself standing in court defending my integrity and career as a songwriter. I was spiralling through fear, depression and anxiety. I felt like I was drowning, head below the surface, looking up but not being able to break through for air.”
“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. For the first time I’m not trying to craft an album people will like, I’m merely putting something out that’s honest and true to where I am in my adult life.”
“This is last February’s diary entry and my way of making sense of it. This is Subtract.”
Ed Sheeran “Subtract” Tracklist:
Boat
Salt Water
Eyes Closed
Life Goes On
Dusty
End Of Youth
Colourblind
Curtains
Borderline
Spark
Vega
Sycamore
No Strings
The Hills of Aberfeldy
Deluxe CD Edition
Wildflowers
Stoned
Toughest
Moving
Deluxe Vinyl Edition
Wildflowers
Balance
Stoned
Fear
Get Over It
Toughest
Ours
Moving
Untitled
“Subtract” is set to be released Friday, May 5th 2023