In an album that pushes Ed’s creativity forward, the songs with his tried-and-tested sound are somewhat less impactful. True to its title, “Slowly” doesn’t really get going until the final minute, which then ends in quite sudden circumstances. It makes for one of Play’s rare forgettable moments.

“In Other Words” is one of the calmest songs on Play, but that doesn’t make it completely unremarkable. The track begins as a piano ballad that grows steadily across its four-minute run time as a string section softly swells in the background. It offers a much-needed breather at the LP’s halfway point following a head-spinning start.

Backed by Our Dementia Choir, a Nottingham-based charity group of singers featuring people living with the disease, “The Vow” packs serious emotional heft. There’s a nod to blue-eyed soul in the record’s lush production that commits to the bit, just as much as Ed does to the song’s subject: “We’re stronger from joy and from pain/ Our love is the thing that remains,” he croons.

Hitmaker Amy Allen makes an appearance on “For Always” as a credited songwriter and backing singer. The pair trade lines on the reverent ballad, with Allen’s subtle vocals providing a gorgeous counterweight to Sheeran’s, as he promises to be his child’s constant throughout their life no matter the circumstance: “From your first breath/ To my last day,” he assures, “Whether I’m by your side/ Or a thousand miles away.”

Sheeran’s finest songwriting is often when he’s addressing his subject directly. “Camera” is for a lover, one that is so dazzling he has “to count to 10 and take a breath” amidst the butterflies flapping away in his stomach. He sings each line with such conviction so that, for a brief moment, it feels like he’s singing solely for you in this magical, romantic moment. Aw, shucks.

There’s a hint of Bon Iver in the way that Sheeran stacks his vocals on Play’s closing track, utilizing its quality and dexterity as an instrument in its own right. “Heaven” is a reflection on the journey he’s been on to get back on top and traversing life’s challenges, and makes for a fitting finale as he completes the first chapter of his next adventure: “let’s pause and just take in this view” he sighs.

Before cloud-based storage, mobile phones were time capsules of certain moments in your life – the good, the bad and the cringe. “Old Phone” was inspired by the rediscovery of a previous device from Sheeran’s past, full of lost photos and messages to lovers and friends (estranged or otherwise). No wonder this acoustic guitar-led number is full of longing and nostalgia for the past, but this time revisited with wisdom and perspective.

Sheeran has described heading to India to meet with superstar Arjit Singh in his hometown as “a pilgrimage of music,” as the pair exchanged ideas, music and friendship. “Sapphire” features Singh performing in Hindi and Punjabi with Sheeran in English, although a remix of this track – not included on Play – offers a more pronounced role for Singh and is perhaps stronger for it. Either way, the universal language of music remains potent and disregards man-made borders and divisions.

Ed described India as a place he could “never get bored of,” and the influence from his travels in such a vibrant nation is felt keenly on “Symmetry.” The track is jam-packed with percussive instruments, such as the dhol and the ghatam — as well as stringed instruments the bouzouki, and the bansuri, a bamboo flute. The result is punchy, and Sheeran totally pulls it off.

You can see why “Azizam” was selected to lead the Play era: that chorus. It’s the type of earworm melody that’s scattered throughout Sheeran’s career (see: “Shape of You,” “Bad Habits,” et al) and has the record’s biggest hit potential. The central refrain and song title “Azizam” translates as “my dear” in Persian, and sees him work with Swedish-Iranian producer Ilya Salmanzadeh on his latest travels beyond Western sounds.

Sheeran’s work with dance producer Fred again.. has proved one of the most fruitful creative relationships in his songwriting catalog. The pair worked extensively together on 2019’s No. 6 Collaborations Project, and on two of Sheeran’s biggest hits in recent years, “Bad Habits” and “Shivers.” This team-up doesn’t fit the smash hit formula, but is all the better for it: The song slithers closer towards Fred’s electronic background and puts Sheeran outside of his comfort zone. These beats are best experienced in dark rooms and with strobe lights.

Ed does the doting love song better than anyone, but his break-up missives – rare as they are – often prove just as compelling. “A Little More” has the pomp of Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black, era and the swagger of Lily Allen at her rudest. “I wish you would look in the mirror, ’cause if you did,” he warns, “you’d see the problem is you, cause you’re a pr–k.” Tell us how you really feel, Ed…

Ed’s got a bone to pick. The LP’s opening track features a slick beat switch that elevates the song from a mid-tempo ballad to bouncing pop-rap banger. Raw intimacy is felt throughout, though. In the calmer moments, themes from Subtract spill over: Sheeran remembers “shaking my wife’s surgeon’s hands” during her health scare, and losing his “brother” Jamal Edwards in such sudden circumstances. The song grows with confidence in the latter half, as he confronts his battles in his breathless rap style: the court cases he “beat”; the pressures of fame from an early age; an ally he once trusted turning foe. “Opening” is the grit in Play’s oyster, and a spectacular curtain-raiser.