The rumors are true: Ed Sheeran’s fall-themed seventh studio album will be released next month (September). Autumn Variations, which will be released on September 29, is based on the formative, life-changing events and experiences that the season can provide. “Last autumn, I found that my friends and I were going through so many life changes,” Sheeran said in a statement. “After the summer’s heat, everything either calmed down, settled, fell apart, came to a head, or imploded.”
“When I was going through a difficult time at the beginning of last year, writing songs helped me understand my feelings and come to terms with what was going on,” he continues. “When I learned about my friends’ various situations, I wrote songs, some from their perspectives, some from mine, to capture how they and I viewed the world at the time.” “There were highs like falling in love and making new friends, but there were also lows like heartbreak, depression, loneliness, and confusion.” The album’s launch today (August 24) comes a week after Sheeran teased the project with a nostalgic, 90s-themed infomercial. Aaron Dessner, the National guitarist who previously acted as producer on Sheeran’s albums Equals and Subtract, was instrumental in the creation of Autumn Variations.
“My father and brother told me about a composer named Elgar who wrote Enigma Variations, where each of the 14 compositions was about one of his friends,” Sheeran explains. “This is what prompted me to create this album.” We hit it off right away when I recorded Subtract with Aaron Dessner. We wrote and recorded nonstop, and this album is the result of that collaboration. I believe he has captured the essence of fall in his sonics, and I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do.” Sheeran is presently on a lengthy North American headlining tour, which will last until the end of September. Ed Sheeran’s official website has a complete list of forthcoming concert dates and tickets information.
Autumn Variations Track List:
1. “Magical”
2. “England”
3. “Amazing”
4. “Plastic Bag”
5. “Blue”
6. “American Town”
7. “That’s on Me”
8. “Page”
9. “Midnight”
10. “Spring”
11. “Punchline”
12. “When Will I Be Alright”
13. “The Day I Was Born”
14. “Head > Heels”
