Photo courtesy of certifiedbootleg.com
Ed Sheeran decided to kick off the new year to two new songs, “Shape of You” and “Castle on the Hill.”
After taking a year-long hiatus on social media, Sheeran returned on New Year’s Day to spill the beans about the release of his new music on Friday.
Up until the day of the release, he started somewhat of a countdown on social media and teased lyric video and album cover arts.
On “Shape of You,” Sheeran sings over a marimba-driven percussion beat about a promising romance at the bar. Immediately after hearing the beat, the song reminds me of Sia’s “Cheap Thrills.” Unlike his other music, this song is more upbeat and sways towards the direction of pop music today.
“Castle on the Hill” is a little more dramatic as he reflects on his childhood and his memories growing up. The song still has a slight upbeat rhythm to it and his vocal delivery drives the song to be anthemic.
May I also add that the lyric videos are visually pleasing. I’m a fan of the use of black and the different shades of blue. It gives off a nice calming vibe along with the song.
In the past, Sheeran’s music tended to break from the mainstream pop trend and still managed to become a hit for fans across the world. Now that he is following the trend, people on social media are going wild and are hoping for more to come.
I will admit I was never really a huge Ed Sheeran fan. I would listen to his songs once and not really have the urge to replay them. After hearing his two new releases, I’m actually excited to see what more has in store for him in 2017.