By: Jack Johnston
Just as a familiar fall breeze fell over Garnet Valley last week, Ed Sheeran released his 7th studio album, entitled “Autumn Variations.” This album, according to Sheeran, is a departure from his albums titled after Mathematical Symbols. This shift also signals a new chapter in his career. For the past few years, Ed Sheeran has been under pressure to release a new Top 100 album, but Sheeran had other ideas in mind. “Autumn Variations” breaks away from his typical album formula. Opposed to creating catchy pop songs that would define his career such as “Thinking Out Loud” and “Bad Habits,” Ed Sheeran wrote this album free from any pressures to release something big. This shows in the album, from “England” to “Plastic Bag,” Autumn Variations embodies the fall. After a busy summer, this album walks us through his life as it calms down, in parallel to the season the album is inspired by. “Oh, it took a while to read the signs, but she used to be a friend of mine.” This lyric, quoted from his song “Blue.” shows how the album not only showcases beautiful fall instrumental tracks but also includes elements of his personal life, intertwined into every song. Whether you are a fan of this album’s folk style or not, it’s hard to deny that Autumn Variations is a massive shift in his career that will impact his music going forward. If you ask me, this is a great album filled with calming melodies and impactful lyrics that are worth a listen.
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