Play

Opaque lilac vinyl housed in a printed gatefold outer sleeve, printed inner sleeve, and a 2 page insert and matt finish. Artwork includes full album lyrics and credits.After closing the chapter on his Mathematics series, Ed Sheeran is finally back and stepping boldly into a fresh new phase for 2025. By exploring the common threads of scale, rhythm, and melody that connect musical traditions throughout history, Sheeran has crafted a collection of songs that seamlessly blend these influences into a bold, pop-driven sound.With the singles “Azizam” and “Old Phone” already creating big buzz and viral moments, Ed Sheeran has confirmed a Sept. 12 release date for his new album, Play, through Gingerbread Man Records/Atlantic.Sheeran says Play “was made as a direct response to the darkest period of my life. Coming out of all of that, I just wanted to create joy and technicolor, and explore cultures in the countries I was touring. I made this record all over the world, finished it in Goa, India, and had some of the most fun, explorative creative days of my life. It’s a real rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish. It encapsulates everything that I love about music, and the fun in it, but also where I am in life as a human, a partner, a father.”“Going into this album campaign, I said to myself, I just want everything I do to be fun and playful,’ so that’s why we are building pubs for folk jams, doing gigs on open top buses and singing in pink cowboy hats on bars,” Sheeran reveals. “The older I get, the more I just want to enjoy things, and savor the moments that are mad and chaotic.”