When Ed Sheeran first announced on January 1st that he was releasing new music, I was ecstatic. I loved “Multiply”, and had, along with the rest of his fans, been eager to hear new music throughout his break in 2016. This past week has felt longer than most, but when the music was finally released, all was worth it.
The interesting thing about releasing these songs together is that they had completely different sounds from one another. “Castle On The Hill” sounds like something that would’ve worked on “Plus,” Ed’s first full-length album, whereas “Shape Of You” had more energy, similar to a “Multiply” sound.
First, I heard “Castle On The Hill”. Listening to this, I was reminded of how much I’ve missed Ed’s voice, particularly how it goes from comforting to almost gravelly in no time at all. I had high expectations for this song, as I had read on twitter about how sweet the song was. In this regard, it did not disappoint. The song is very sweet, and it reminded me of my friends from my hometown. This sounds like the kind of song that would be put in an inspirational ad about college or a high school graduation video. It’s the kind of song that you’d like to listen to live because it’s easy to sing along to. And if you bring some people that you care about with you, it easily becomes a really nice moment. It’s a very charming song, something that I suspect will grow on me as time goes on.
And then we have “Shape Of You.” In this one, the “mhmm”s that are expected in Ed’s music make their return. I feel like this is something they would play in a club. Or maybe in a dance scene in a movie, since I don’t really know what they play in the clubs. The point is, this is the kind of song that encourages even the most rhythmically challenged people (like myself), to just dance. It’s the song that remains stubbornly stuck in your head after just one or two plays. This is the situation I expect to be in with this song.
Given their contrasting sounds, it’s inevitable that each person who listens to the songs prefers one over the other. To my own surprise, I find myself preferring “Shape Of You”, but only slightly. In any case, this makes me even more interested to know what his next album release is going to sound like. Welcome back, Ed.
