As the days grow colder, many turn to comforting music to get them through. Ed Sheeran’s new album Autumn Variations will do just the trick.
Released on Sept. 29, 2023, Autumn Variations returns to Sheeran’s roots, focusing on lyricism and guitar medleys rather than the charts.
Sheeran wanted to create a cozy collection of songs for the fall, when everything starts to die and the coldness settles in.
It’s his first album on his own record label, Gingerbread Man Records, which Sheeran started, in part, because of his admiration for other artists; he wanted the chance to endorse and promote talented musicians that he believed were flying under the radar.
Why Subtract fell short
Autumn Variations is the second album Sheeran has released in 2023. Five months ago he released his fourth album, Subtract.
The album centres around the struggles he faced when his pregnant wife was diagnosed with cancer and his best friend, Jamal Edwards, died. Subtract is a primarily acoustic album. Sheeran suggested that it was made with little focus on the charts, saying in an Instagram caption, “The only thing I want from this album is that people feel something when they listen to it.”
This was a big change. Sheeran, a bit of a pro at writing pop songs, clearly crafted his last few albums with the purpose of performing well among a mainstream audience. When announcing Subtract, Sheeran explained in an Instagram caption, “For the first time, I’m not trying to craft an album people will like”. Songs like “Shivers” on Equals, and “Shape of You” on Divide both reached over one billion streams.
With Subtract, Sheeran paid the price for not catering to the masses: the album did not perform well. All of Sheeran’s past albums acquired over a billion streams, ranging from 3.7 billion streams on Plus, to 15.3 billion streams on Divide. In contrast, Subtract only obtained 525 million streams.
The drop in the number of streams was likely due to the specificity of the topics, with songs like “Sycamore” being about the difficulties Sheeran and his wife grappled with during her cancer diagnosis.
The allure of Autumn Variations
Autumn Variations is everything Subtract isn’t. Though Autumn Variations was also released in spite of the charts, it has the relatability which Subtract lacks. The album was created from shared perspectives, inspired by events in both Sheeran’s life and his friends’ lives.
This allows this album to cater to a wider audience. Autumn Variations has Sheeran covering more topics, which challenges him more in his songwriting.
Mental health
In Autumn Variations, Sheeran is not afraid to confront difficult subjects head-on. He captures the emotions some feel as the weather gets colder and seasonal depression sinks in, and mentions suicide in various songs like “When Will I Be Alright” and “Plastic Bag.”
The song “Spring” centres around the feeling of hopelessness during the cold months. It also touches on alcoholism. “I said I’d do a sober month/I failed, but tried and wrote this drunk.”
In “The Day I Was Born,” he talks of the emptiness of having an autumn birthday. “They don’t want to celebrate/Nobody cares this is the day I was born,” sings Sheeran.
Romance
Autumn is a time where many fall in and out of love. Sheeran, in love himself, includes songs like “American Town” and “Midnight,” which discuss the comfort of romance in the fall.
“Feet are three feet off the ground/Lost in love and we don’t want to be found,” goes a part of the chorus of “American Town.”
On the flip side, “Page” and “Blue” comment on the heartbreak and loneliness many feel in autumn. In “Page” he sings, “Now that you’re not around, I’m not doin’ so well.”
Lyricism
Sheeran is known as an exceptional lyricist, and this album does not sell him short.
In “Page” he compares himself, in metaphor, to a book, singing, “I’m a half-read story, I was fine on the shelf/Why did you take me down as if I needed your help?” Even in the simplistic lines of “Spring”, he sings, “The smell of last night’s takeaway/Just tells me I’m a mess/Still watchin’ shows they recommend/That don’t get good until the end.” Here Sheeran perfectly encapsulates the self-loathing many feel following a depressive period.
Though the intricate lyrics are a high point of the album, Sheeran may lose the audience in his overuse of repetition. Sometimes it can be powerful and catchy, but in this album it’s overdone.
In “Amazing” and “Magical,” the repetition takes away from the beautiful lyricism within the verses.
Production
Sheeran brought Aaron Dessner, member of The National, onto this album as the sole producer. Dessner, who is known for his smooth guitar melodies and lyricism, had a clear impact on the album. Songs like “Magical” and “Page” exemplify Dessner’s staple sound that is both acoustic and haunting.
However, certain tracks like “Head>Heels” and “Midnight” sound a bit too much like an iMovie backtrack.
For the fans
Autumn Variations was made to be fan-focused. Sheeran surprised 14 different fans by showing up at their homes and performing a song for each of them. He later released these versions on streaming platforms for all fans to listen to. So, whether you’re in love, alone, depressed or cozy, Autumn Variations is the perfect album to listen to this fall.
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