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Ed Sheeran Completes Math-Themed Albums With “Subtract,” Out 5/3

Ed Sheeran Completes Math-Themed Albums With “Subtract,” Out 5/3

Alyssa Osorio

March 17, 2023

Finally, Ed Sheeran’s mathematics themed-albums come to a finish with final album, Subtract, out May 3rd.

It All Adds Up

If you’ve been following along, Ed Sheeran has been releasing albums under mathematics terms since his first album, Plus, which released in 2011. Since, he has dropped record after record following suit: Multiply, Divide, and his recent, Equals. You may recognize top hits like “The A-Team” and “Lego House” from his first album. If not, then surely you know “Photograph” and “Thinking Out Loud.” The latter was the first single to spend a full year in the UK top 40. “Thinking Out Loud” later received Grammy awards for Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 58th Grammy Awards. Throughout his career, he’s worked with the likes of Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Cardi B, and Khalid. If you haven’t listened to Sheeran’s music, then there’s a good chance you’ve at least heard songs he’s written, like The Weeknd’s “Dark Times” or BTS‘ “Make It Right”.

What To Take Away From Ed Sheeran’s Subtract

Needless to say, Ed Sheeran is no stranger to the music industry. He has written hit song after hit song, and there’s hardly a time you wouldn’t find one of his songs playing on pop radio stations across the country. He is typically known for his love songs, however, Subtract is going to show a side of Sheeran that we haven’t seen before. Sheeran gives insight into the dark experiences that inspired the songs that we will find in this new album:

“Within the space of a month, my pregnant wife got told she had a tumor, with no route to treatment until after the birth. My best friend Jamal, a brother to me, died suddenly, and I found myself standing in court defending my integrity and career as a songwriter. I was spiraling through fear, depression and anxiety. I felt like I was drowning, head below the surface, looking up but not being able to break through for air.”

Whereas the media generally popularizes the mainstream romantic songs from Ed Sheeran’s albums, ‘Subtract’ appears to be host to more heavy hitters. We briefly encountered sensitive topics like abuse and addiction in previous songs, like “Runaway,” but we’ve never had an entire album dedicated to the bad days littered between the good ones. And that means that everything isn’t all roses in Subtract. “For the first time, I’m not trying to craft an album people will like, I’m merely putting something out that’s honest and true to where I am in my adult life,” Sheeran said about writing this album. Despite the grim topics, I have high hopes that Subtract will be a great album to tie together all of Ed Sheeran’s current discography. So far, all we have is the track list. But I know we all anxiously await what Sheeran has up his sleeve for ‘Subtract’.