”Play” received generally positive reviews from music critics. On [[Metacritic]], the album has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100 based on 4 reviews, indicating “generally favorable reviews”.<ref name=”Metacritic”/> The review aggregator site AnyDecentMusic? complied five reviews and gave the album an 6.1 out of 10.<ref name=”ADM”/>
”Play” received generally positive reviews from music critics. On [[Metacritic]], the album has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100 based on 4 reviews, indicating “generally favorable reviews”.<ref name=”Metacritic”/> The review aggregator site AnyDecentMusic? complied five reviews and gave the album an 6.1 out of 10.<ref name=”ADM”/>
”[[The Irish Times]]”{{‘s}} Ed Power described the album as “enjoyably moreish” and stated that Sheeran sounds as if he’s back on form.<ref name=”Irish Times”/>
==Track listing==
==Track listing==
2025 studio album by Ed Sheeran
Play is the eighth studio album by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran.[1] It was released on 12 September 2025 through Gingerbread Man Records and Atlantic Records under license to Warner Music.[2] A follow-up to his seventh studio album Autumn Variations (2023) and greatest hits album +-=÷× (Tour Collection) (2024), it is the first of Sheeran’s planned five symbol-themed albums[3] with titles based on electronic media buttons, with Pause, Fast Forward, Rewind, and Stop to follow.[4]
The album was supported by five singles: “Azizam“, “Old Phone“, “Sapphire“, “A Little More“, and “Camera“. To promote the album, Sheeran is set to embark on the Loop Tour in December 2025 across Europe and Oceania.
After releasing two acoustic albums in 2023, − and Autumn Variations, Sheeran announced in December 2024 that with Play, he is getting back into “big pop“.[5][6] In March 2025, he also confirmed the titles of two other songs from Play: “Old Phone” and “Sapphire“.[1]
The lead single, “Azizam“, was released on 4 April 2025.[7] The second single, “Old Phone“, was released on 1 May 2025.[8] The third single, “Sapphire“, was released on 5 June 2025.[9] The fourth single, “A Little More“, released on 7 August 2025.[10] “Camera” was released as the fifth single on 12 September 2025.[11]
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This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2025)
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Play received generally positive reviews from music critics. On Metacritic, the album has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100 based on 4 reviews, indicating “generally favorable reviews”.[13] The review aggregator site AnyDecentMusic? complied five reviews and gave the album an 6.1 out of 10.[12]
The Irish Times‘s Ed Power described the album as “enjoyably moreish” and stated that Sheeran sounds as if he’s back on form.[16]
| Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | “Problems” | 2:54 | ||
| 15. | “War Game” | 3:12 | ||
| Total length: | 50:44 | |||
| Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16. | “Crashing” |
|
4:11 | |
| Total length: | 54:55 | |||
| Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16. | “Regrets” |
|
3:48 | |
| Total length: | 54:32 | |||
| Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17. | “Freedom” | 3:57 | ||
| 18. | “Sapphire” (featuring Arijit Singh) |
|
3:00 | |
| Total length: | 61:29 | |||
Credits adapted from Tidal.[19]
- Ed Sheeran – lead vocals (all tracks), guitar (tracks 1, 3, 4, 9, 11, 12, 16, 17), acoustic guitar (2, 5, 13, 17, 18), backing vocals (2, 5, 17, 18)
- Johnny McDaid – electric guitar (1, 2, 5, 13, 18), programming (1), backing vocals (2, 3, 5, 16, 18), piano (2, 7), keyboards (2, 16, 18), guitar (3, 16), acoustic guitar (5, 13)
- Blake Slatkin – keyboards (1, 4, 8); additional instrumentation, drum programming (1); programming (4, 8, 9), backing vocals (4, 9); bass, guitar (8, 12); tambourine (9)
- Cirkut – keyboards (1, 8); additional instrumentation, drum programming (1); programming (8)
- Omer Fedi – guitar (1, 9, 11); additional instrumentation, drum programming, keyboards (1); bass (9, 11); drums, programming (9)
- Ilya Salmanzadeh – keyboards, programming (2–6, 10, 13, 16, 18); , bass (2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 18), drums (2, 3, 6, 10, 16, 18), backing vocals (2, 4–6, 10, 13, 16, 18); acoustic guitar, piano (2, 18); electric guitar (5), guitar (6, 10), synthesizer (10)
- Tapas Ray – lute (2–5, 18), santoor (2, 3, 17, 18), mandolin (4)
- Savan Kotecha – backing vocals (2, 3, 5, 16, 18), programming (16)
- Jayesh Kathak – shaker (2, 4, 5, 10, 13, 16, 18), tambourine (2, 4, 5, 13, 16, 18), dholak drums (2, 5, 18), dhol drums (2, 10, 18), riq (3), güiro (4, 16), khartal (4), tabla (5, 10), percussion (5), castanets (10, 13), congas (10); bells, djembe (16)
- Gautam Sharma – dhol drums (2, 4, 5, 10, 14, 15, 18), percussion (2, 4, 5, 10, 18), tabla (2, 18), tambourine (4), drums (10)
- Citizens of the World Choir – backing vocals (2, 18), choral backing vocals (3)
- Max Martin – bass (2, 18), guitar (6)
- Arijit Singh – backing vocals, banjo, sitar, vocals (2, 18)
- Becky Dell – choir conductor (2, 18)
- Ganesh Murali – ghatam (3–5, 13, 14, 17), tambourine (3, 4, 13, 16, 17), drums (10), percussion (14)
- Elvira Anderfjärd – backing vocals (3, 4, 14, 15), cello (6), programming (10, 14, 15), synthesizer (10); bass, drums (14, 15); keyboards (14)
- Andy – backing vocals (3)
- Arash – backing vocals (3)
- Eyelar Mirzazadeh – backing vocals (3)
- Luka Kloser – backing vocals (3)
- Lemar Carter – drums (4, 8, 11)
- Dylan Day – guitar (4, 9, 12)
- Davide Rossi – cello, viola, violin, strings arrangement (4)
- Beoga – banjo, piano, strings (4)
- Pino Palladino – bass (4)
- Rohan Sonwani – bansuri (5, 10, 13, 15)
- Andrew Watt – drums, guitar (6)
- Abe Laboriel Jr. – drums, percussion (6)
- Louis Bell – keyboards, programming (6)
- David Hodges – piano (6)
- Matthew Sheeran – strings arrangement (7)
- Budapest Scoring Orchestra – strings (7)
- Dave – backing vocals (8)
- Jesse McGinty – baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, trombone, brass arrangement, woodwind arrangement (8)
- Michael Cordone – trumpet, trumpet arrangement (8)
- Larry Goldings – Wurlitzer (9)
- Fred – backing vocals, bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, programming, synthesizer (10)
- Paul Cornish – Wurlitzer (11, 12); organ, piano (11)
- Nick Ellman – baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, horn arrangement (11)
- Raymond James Mason – flugelhorn, horn arrangement (11)
- John Michael Bradford – trumpet, horn arrangement (11)
- Lucy Healey – additional vocals (11)
- Our Dementia Choir – additional vocals (11)
- Ashton Miranda – choir arrangement, vocal arrangement (11)
- Larry Gold – strings arrangement, strings conductor (11)
- Vivian Barton-Dozor – cello (11)
- Kathleen Foster – viola (11)
- Steven Heitlinger – viola (11)
- Emma Kummrow – violin (11)
- Gared Crawford – violin (11)
- Joseph Kauffman – violin (11)
- Natasha Colkett – violin (11)
- Tess Varley – violin (11)
- Yu-Hui Tamae Lee – violin (11)
- Amy Allen – backing vocals (12)
- Shilpa Rao – backing vocals (13)
- Megha Rawoot – sitar (13)
- Magnus Anderfjärd – percussion (14, 15), cajón (14)
- Max Grahn – guitar, mandolin (14)
- Steve Mac – piano (17)
- Mark “Spike” Stent – mixing (1, 4, 7, 9, 12, 17)
- Serban Ghenea – mixing (2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13–16, 18)
- Stuart Hawkes – mastering (1–10, 12–18)
- Randy Merrill – mastering (11)
- Blake Slatkin – engineering (1, 4, 7–9, 11, 12), vocal engineering (1, 9, 11, 12)
- Cirkut – engineering, vocal engineering (1, 8)
- Graham Archer – engineering (2–6, 10, 13, 14, 17, 18), vocal engineering (9, 11)
- Ilya Salmanzadeh – engineering (2–6, 10, 13, 18)
- Jeremy Lertola – engineering (4–6, 10, 13), engineering assistance (3, 5)
- Michael Harris – engineering (4, 8, 11)
- Akash Musherejee – engineering (5, 13)
- Bill Malina – engineering (8)
- Paul Lamalfa – engineering (6)
- Louis Bell – engineering (6)
- Robert Palma – engineering (7), engineering assistance (1, 8)
- Hunter Goddard – engineering (7), vocal engineering (5, 11)
- Robert Sellens – engineering (14)
- Elvira Anderfjärd – engineering (15)
- Chris Laws – engineering (17)
- Dan Pursey – engineering (17)
- Ritvik Shah – vocal engineering (2, 18)
- Sukanto Singha – vocal engineering (2, 18)
- Connor Protheroe – vocal engineering (11)
- Ewan Lunn – vocal engineering (11)
- Matt J. Barnes – vocal engineering (11)
- Arijit Singh – voice editing (2, 18)
- Yuvraj Sarkar – voice editing (2, 18)
- Kieran Beardmore – mixing assistance (1, 4, 7, 9, 12, 17)
- Matt Wolach – mixing assistance (1, 4, 7, 9, 12, 17)
- Bryce Bordone – mixing assistance (2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15, 18)
- Will Reynolds – engineering assistance (2, 3, 5, 10, 13, 17, 18)
- Nick Rose – engineering assistance (2, 3, 16, 18)
- Juan Arguello – engineering assistance (10)
- ^ a b Dunworth, Liberty (11 March 2025). “Ed Sheeran confirms new single is coming “next month”, reveals upcoming song titles”. NME. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
- ^ Smith, Thomas (14 February 2025). “Ed Sheeran Has Seemingly Revealed the Title of His Next Album”. Billboard. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ Dunworth, Liberty (1 May 2025). “Ed Sheeran announces ‘Play’ release date and shares nostalgic single ‘Old Phone’“. NME. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
- ^ Irvin, Jack (28 May 2025). “Ed Sheeran Shares Next 5 Album Titles After Completing Math Series and Says Quentin Tarantino Inspired His Vision”. People. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ Gee, Andre (12 December 2024). “Ed Sheeran Reveals His Next Album Is Already Done — And It’s ‘Big Pop’“. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
- ^ Mandarand, Charisma (19 March 2025). “Ed Sheeran Reveals ‘Album Done,’ Teases New Single”. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
- ^ Dailey, Hannah (19 March 2025). “Ed Sheeran Reveals His New Album Is ‘Done’ While Premiering Snippet of Lead Single ‘Azizam’“. Billboard. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ Smith, Thomas (29 April 2025). “Ed Sheeran Launches Nostalgic Instagram Account With Never-Before-Seen Photos Ahead of ‘Old Phone’ Single Release”. Billboard. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ Zan, Henson (29 May 2025). “Ed Sheeran Rides an Auto in Telangana and Sings in Punjabi in New Song Teaser a “sapphire”“. Newsx. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
- ^ Khan, Sidra (4 August 2025). “Ed Sheeran announces release date of new song ‘A Little More’ with Rupert Grint”. Daily Jang. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- ^ “Ed Sheeran – Camera (Official Music Video)”. YouTube. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
- ^ a b “Play by Ed Sheeran reviews”. AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ^ a b “Play by Ed Sheeran Reviews and Tracks”. Metacritic. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
- ^ Petridis, Alexis (12 September 2025). “Ed Sheeran: Play review – subcontinental sounds and shards of darkness – but still unmistakably him”. The Guardian. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ^ Chilton, Louis (12 September 2025). “Ed Sheeran: Play review – A musical buffet lacking a signature dish”. The Independent. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ^ a b Power, Ed (12 September 2025). “Ed Sheeran has just released an album. Why didn’t he want The Irish Times to hear it?”. The Irish Times. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ^ Bassett, Jordan (12 September 2025). “Ed Sheeran – ‘Play’ review: a hasty retreat to the genre-spanning of old”. NME. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ^ Georgi, Maya (12 September 2025). “Ed Sheeran Plays On — But It’s the Same Old Song”. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ^ a b “Play (Extended Edition) / Ed Sheeran / Credits”. Tidal.
- ^ “Ed Sheeran Official Store”. store.edsheeran.com. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
- ^ “Play (Extended Edition)”. Retrieved 11 September 2025 – via Apple Music.
