Divide- Review

Ed Sheeran’s new album, “Divide”, is not an extraneous album cover set out to complete the +, x , and / trio, but rather, it is a dive into a world of multifarious emotions through the accessible press of a play button.

Keeping his fans on the brink of suspense (because a three year hiatus between “Multiply” and “Divide” wasn’t enough), Ed Sheeran sprung out of hiding with the release of four singles prior to the drop of his album: “Shape of You”, “Castle on the Hill”, “How Would You Feel” and “Eraser”. Since the release of the first four singles to the liberation of the complete album, it was effortless to pick out the extended diversity of the musical masterpiece. Through “Castle on the Hill”, Sheeran recounts his juvenile adventures and expresses how life’s unsystematic turns catalyze nostalgia for the simpler times. However, “Shape of you”, the invigorating pop song, governs the spicier side of love through a dashing beat, differing even further from Sheeran’s unrivaled ballads like “How Would You Feel”. These songs are all enriched with Ed Sheeran’s storytelling around relatable themes yet they were conveyed in the most versatile tunes, revealing Sheeran’s true potential in this generation as he fuses his sweetness, liveliness and pure sincerity into an album that makes us love, hate, hope, fear, reminisce, and remain optimistic.

When “Divide” was released, the music couldn’t have proved to be more eclectic. Ranging from Celtic songs such as “Gallaway Girl” and even Irish twists in that of “Nancy Mulligan”, Sheeran paints a whole world before our eyes. It is as if one travels to the beaches of Barcelona or African coasts while listening to tropical tunes in “Barcelona” and “Bibia Be Ye Ye” or venturing to the olden towns of Ireland as we listen to Nancy Mulligan, the story of his grandparents’ adventurous love. Even his upbeat songs that encircle themselves on the corruption of fame (“Eraser”), his ridiculing of the idea of a perfect man (“New Man”), and his longing for world peace (“What Do I Know?”) act as individual successes as well as unique contributors to the diversification of the album. I must admit, that this melting pot of tropical, Irish, romantic, and even soul tunes was unexpected and initially unsettling due to the fact that this amalgamation isn’t present in his previous albums. However, this interesting detour taken in “Divide” is what makes it so unique. Also, each song’s intricate twist engendered emotions which mirrored the ones produced by the processing of his lyrics, revealing the depth of the album. The diverse tunes presented to us in “Divide” further evoke Ed Sheeran’s lively and independent charisma as he takes his own risks and disengages himself from a single genre.

Another musical achievement, or should I say recurrence, throughout the complete album is Ed Sheeran’s controlled voice, delivering each word in the most sincere way, as if he’s letting something off of his chest or wholeheartedly opening up. This sincerity was a primary component in “Divide”, specifically the ballads within it, fulfilling Ed Sheeran enthusiasts’ expectations. Once again, “How Would You Feel” is one of these romantic songs but there's no way one can’t mention “Dive”, “Perfect”, “Happier” and “Hearts Don’t Break Around Here”. Although not romantic, the song “Supermarket flowers”, which encircles the death of his grandmother through his own mother’s point of view, stood out most of all— I have to admit that a tear escaped my eye while listening to it. The way that Sheeran passionately guides his listeners through the rises and falls of love in a mastered lyrical romanticism, is as if he gives away a piece of his pure heart with every breath. This passion and eagerness towards love is also partly what makes Ed Sheeran who he is to world— a necessary and profound addition to the album.

If you felt any type of refutal coming, well here it is.

Through the course of the album, Ed Sheeran (in multiple occurrences) breaks the division between the reality of a song and real life. In other words, he specifically mentions the song he’s singing within the song. This might seem irrelevant but it repeatedly bothered me. The point of music is to transfer into another world where we can escape time as well as feel it through another person’s perspective. Mentioning that he’s singing a song in the song itself disrupts our escape and restricts the listeners from his complete aura.

Compared to his past albums, “Divide” seemed to be the most detached due to this and its unexpected diversity. After the release of “Multiply (X)” in 2014, Sheerans’s fame was… well… multiplied, putting into question whether he truly improved as an artist from “X” to “Divide”. Although he did diversify as well as improve in the layering of sounds, “X” might’ve just been too great of an album to surpass. Songs from his previous album such as “Photograph” and “Thinking Out Loud” have had a long lasting impact, but the risks the singer took in “Divide” could end up limiting the album as a whole. Although I personally enjoyed the diversity of the album, let’s not forget that Ed Sheeran’s music is not as widespread as other genres; therefore, this risk taking in “Divide” rather than the focus on his developed strengths will not grant his album much praise. However, without comparison to his previous albums, “Divide” is well put together and an admirable album. The complete album might not surpass the reach of “Multiply”, but a notable amount of songs within it have a profound individual impact on its listeners. Considering all at hand, Ed Sheeran's new album, “Divide”, receives a convincing 8.75/10.