The day has come! After more than two years since the release of his last album, and over a year since his last social media post, Ed Sheeran has finally popped back around and brought us some pretty marvelous new tunes. On midnight of January 6th, he released two new singles: “Castle on the Hill,” and “Shape of You.” Being the fan that I am, I listened to them right away; and boy, I was not disappointed.

His first single “Castle on the Hill,” is an upbeat, yet soft love song dedicated to his hometown of Suffolk, England. It has a really simple yet nostalgic vibe. It’s the kind of song that makes you think about running around as a child, or experiencing so many firsts as a teenager. Some lines say: “and I’ve not seen the roaring fields in so long, I know I’ve grown,” and “had my first kiss on a Friday night, I don’t reckon that I did it right.” I imagine this song as the perfect backdrop to a slideshow of childhood pictures. After listening to this song, you probably can’t wait to go home.

Ed’s second single hits you right off the bat with percussive, mellow beats that will probably make you think, “this is going to be a cool song.” “Shape of You” makes you want to get up and just dance along. As a contrast to “Castle on the Hill,” this song has a much more sultry vibe and a “go with the flow” notion. Some of his lyrics are: “drinking faster and then we talk slow,” and “we push and pull like a magnet do.” I have a feeling this song is going to be playing on all of the radio stations before we can even blink an eye.

Nobody knew when Ed Sheeran would be releasing new music. Even though it was highly anticipated, it remained a mystery. Now that he has given the world this snippet of his upcoming album, there’s no doubt in my mind that it’s going to shoot straight to the top of the charts once it’s released. In fact, it will probably be the backdrop to our days for a long time. Well, at least it will be for me.